Sweeter Than Sin
by Kagamichihime
Summary: Zero and Kaname have always hated each other, or have they really? When Yuuki mysteriously dies, the two suddenly share a common goal - to find her killer. But how can love bloom when they're constantly trying for each other's throats? *Yaoi, Shounen-Ai*
1. Chapter One: Torn Apart

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino sensei.

**V2 Rewritten 8/28/2011**

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

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"All finished!" Yuuki smiled brightly at Zero, her fair skin flushing pink at their proximity.

White Lily, one of the horses at Cross Academy's equestrian center, had gone mad when Yuuki tried to groom her. She should have known better than to go near the hot-tempered mare, but the damn peacemaker within her reasoned—irrationally—that she should at least make an effort towards the unwilling animal. And as Zero expected, the results were the same. Though she had grown more violent and restless as of late, and instead of her usual warning bite, Zero, with his quick actions, had to shield her from the steel of the ceremello's horseshoes.

A crescent of dark red blood started to dot and seep through the new gauze that was fixed in place over Zero's injury. For a moment Yuuki fretted about having to change it again, but a yawn from the silver-haired youth stifled those thoughts. He _was_ a vampire after all, and wound would likely be healed before first period tomorrow. They were practically indestructible, those vampires, as far as nature was concerned. What with their calculating intelligence and durable bodies... she trailed her fingers down the bare skin of his stomach and over the firm ridges, her breath catching when she made him shiver.

"Sorry," she amended, turning back to the medical cabinet. "The area must still be tender, I can probably dress your abdomen in case she cracked your ribs."

Zero could feel the ghost of her wandering fingers long after they had been withdrawn.

"Thanks," he said gruffly, controlling his own blush. "but I'll be fine."

Through the lingering euphoric haze of pain Zero swore something had shifted in the shadows. He had felt more so than seen it through the corners of his eyes, and not for the first time that day. Something was following him, casting its dark aura over his senses like a raincloud.

What did it want?

Zero gave an experimental sniff, silently berating himself for the inhuman behavior as he affixed his keen violets to the writhing presence beyond the shadows. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, abdomen throbbing in disapproval. This he chose to ignore, since coupled with the slight blood loss, it did not help soothe his starving gut. Grabbing his school jacket from the coat rack, Zero yanked it on, not bothering to button it over his bare skin as he headed for the door to the infirmary.

"Where are you going?" Yuuki asked, eyes filling with worry. She felt as if he shouldn't have been moving so soon, if his hesitation when sitting up had been any sort of indicator.

"To find the Chairman, I'll be right back." he informed. Yuuki shuffled around the contents of a tin pillbox. _His_ pillbox, to be exact. He watched on in disdain as tidied up the area, clearly intending to go with him.

Maybe she'd be safer staying where she was?

"Stay here to clean up and lock the door." he struggled for a reason without alerting her to the potential threat lingering in the air. "We weren't supposed to be in there without the nurse, and if she comes back and finds you in there with part of my uniform," he nodded to his bloody and dirt sodden undershirt. "she'll think more went on than just wound treatments."

"Alright." she replied, buying the lie.

"Thanks, Yuuki. Keep Artemis close. I'll be back for you."

The door swung shut as Zero departed, leaving Yuuki to finish discarding the used gauze and sanitize all surfaces. Blood was not something that could be left lingering in the open at Cross Academy, and she saw to it with peroxide. Blood tablets, however...

That's right, in her haste to clean she had forgotten to make sure Zero took his medicine. She sighed and threw the rag she had been working with into the wastebasket. Zero had always gone on about how terrible the tablets tasted, avoiding their chalky, coagulated flavor in favor of drinking from her neck. Did the tablets really taste that bad, or did she taste that good?

With a guilty glance over her shoulder, Yuuki considered the tin on the table. The silver of the pillbox gleamed innocently beneath the bright white fluorescents, piquing her curiosity further. What would it hurt to try one out? Living around vampires for all of her life did leave her with all sorts of questions. Some of them she was afraid to ask even Kaname about.

Well, Zero had taken them for a while before his inner vampire made itself known. He was human, and it didn't have adverse affects, right? Without a second thought Yuuki shook one out and popped it into her mouth, spitting it out the moment it touched her tongue.

"Ugh!" her face contorted sickly as she hacked and dry heaved, biting her lip when she spat out the nasty pill. It tasted like the coppery one rin coin she had accidentally eaten out of the headmaster's change dish when she was young. No wonder Zero hated it!

Warmth flooded into Yuuki's mouth as she spit the memory of the flavor out into the sink. She turned on the faucet to dissolve the pill and wash her mouth out, but the taste of actual blood in her mouth made her head ache. The room around her pitched and swam before her unfocused eyes, the bed Zero had just been occupying tempting her to rest until the room became grounded again.

Cursing herself inwardly for putting up the gauze, Yuuki settled for swallowing the blood from her cut lip as she settled on the bed. The taste wasn't anything special, she decided, but it did make her think. Her eyes drifted closed in thought, grasping at the escaping memories like cupping sand, or water slipping through her fingers.

_Blood_ slipping through her fingers.

Pouring down her hair, into her mouth torn open from all that screaming. Ash tickling her nose. This damned scratching noise against the tiled floor.

Her senses cleared in that moment, eyes fluttering open to a sight that was most definitely _not_ the infirmary. She knew that haunted, wide-eyed look a bloodied mirror offered her, and the hand on her shoulder was her only source of comfort.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

Once out of the infirmary, Zero sampled the air again. The scent of the stalker was clearer now that the stench of the antiseptics was far behind him. It reminded him of a musk, like something Kaien kept a satchel of in his home, but with a hint of blood. It was somewhat tempting, and definitely vampire.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor to his left, alerting Zero's other senses and starting the manhunt. He didn't have to worry about Yuuki, she wasn't the one bleeding. Whatever it was would come after him if they were out for blood.

Upon rounding a corner the golden fingers of sunset caressed his face and exposed skin. He shrunk back slightly, not used to the onslaught of light since he had been indoors for the better part of an hour undergoing Yuuki's clumsy treatment. Sure, the setting sun wasn't particularly harmful on his vampire skin, but the rays did make it tingle uncomfortably. Prolonged exposure to strong sunlight would make it burn worse than hellfire, but at the moment the sun was a minor nuisance in his investigation.

The sun, however, was not the one burning holes into him at the moment. Zero was being watched. All day, he was sure, as he made his way down the golden corridor with one hand on the concealed Bloody Rose in his jacket, the other hooking a thumb through his belt loop. Further down the corridor lied the darkened territory of the night class, and from there a flash of white in the shadows caught his eye. He was close. The chase would end soon.

Running as quietly as he could, Zero crossed into the darkened halls. He belatedly noted that classes had changed while he was being treated, likely thanks to Chairman Cross handling the prefect duty. Zero snorted at the thought. About damn time he did something worthwhile at the school. Later on, perhaps he really would visit him to discuss breaking White Lily of her attitude.

He followed the scent past the gaping doors of their homeroom, allowing himself a good view of the creatures dwelling within. As a unit, the entirety of the night class looked over to Zero with glowing crimson eyes. He slowed down, panting lightly as he debated over clutching at his middle. It was sore, and perhaps he had cracked a rib after all. But one look from those beasts, and he thought better than to show any weakness to them. A frown etched itself onto his face as one of the pureblood's lackeys approached him.

"What are you doing here, prefect?" Aidou scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "Come to offer yourself to us?" his icy eyes flit to the darkening red seeping through the gauze. The rest of the lesser vampires turned away, uninterested, perhaps afraid, Zero wagered, of facing him. After all, he had nearly killed Aidou once, and didn't hesitate to take aim at his pacifist of a cousin Kain as well.

"How boring." Shiki muttered from his reclined spot in the stadium seating. "It takes all the fun out of making him a sport." he cracked the end of his stick of chocolate Pocky for added emphasis.

"It probably wouldn't be as interesting as you'd expect." Rima concluded, finishing her own stick. "This is much more exciting." she counter-argued, taking the end of Senri's stick between her lips. She turned from her spot on his desktop to help him finish his stick, mouths nearly touching with a ghost of a smirk, both refusing to let go as the chocolate smeared against their lips.

"Shameless." Ruka tutted softly, examining her nails from her perch on the curtained window sill.

Zero didn't pay attention to their ramblings. He sampled the air from within the classroom, deciding to draw his weapon when he heard the faintest skrit-scratching noise. Ruka's brow furrowed, her expression scandalized.

"Were you sent here to hunt us? Or did you want to make nice?" she asked skeptically.

"Keep away unless you're ready to fight." Zero warned, tone low and deadly as he backed away—his pursuer was not there.

"My apologies, mister prefect," a voice started.

Zero whirled around, gun at the ready. The night class swarmed him silently, their movements barely causing a susurrus against him. Flame and ice were threatening whispers on his skin, fingernails drawing blood from his neck, a disgruntled Ruka stood in a frontwards flank of Kaname. The lazy twins, or so Zero liked to think of them, probably stopped snogging in the classroom, as he could feel their static hovering in the background.

Kaname allowed him an indulgent smile reserved for children as he lowered the barrel of Bloody Rose with the tips of his fingers. Zero could feel his temper spike at the patronizing action, but he couldn't shoot unless he thought up a very good reason. Seiren he could easily kill now because of the new stinging wound in his neck, but he determined that the loss would be minimal.

"Just what were you planning on doing with that?" he asked, inclining his head. "Enough. Put that away and come with me." he turned to go down the corridor.

Ruka hesitated, deciding to speak up. "Kaname-sama..."

He held up a finger to stop her.

"Enjoy class." he dismissed with a smile. They knew it was more an order than a suggestion, and with distrustful looks the rest of the night class filed back into the classroom.

Zero frowned, following the pureblood. He kept his weapon drawn, though lowered in a relaxed pose. They wandered through the corridors for a few minutes, eventually approaching the school entrance. He was growing increasingly tired of the silence, and decided they had gone far enough to cut to the chase. "Why were you spying on us?"

"'Us'?" Kaname mused. He turned to quirk a brow at Zero's still form, the hunter catching the implication as he was beckoned into the encroaching night.

"Yes. Don't play dumb even if you're great at it."

"So then is there something between you and Yuuki?" the purueblood inquired.

"What business is it of yours?" Zero wrinkled his nose, subconsciously rejecting the idea. She didn't need to be tainted by him any more than she already was. Kaname merely stood there at an arms length away, studying the hunter's face with keen interest.

"Pardon me." his voice was amused. "I had assumed -"

"Well you assumed wrong." Zero snapped, irritated at that fact. "Is this all you called me out here for?"

Kaname frowned, closing his eyes. He seemed to be mulling something over, biding his time to pick out the right words, leaving Zero with the impatience he was so well acquainted with.

"Spit it out, vampire."

"You're one as well." an amused smirk painted his lips, quickly falling to a grimace. "She seems to hold an awful lot of your attention." he opened his eyes to spare a side glance to the silver haired teen, looking away before Zero could get a proper reading on the direction in which his thoughts were going. "Too much. I don't like you near her."

"Like hell." came Zero's snort.

Kaname's eyes narrowed in response. Was that jealousy Zero was sensing? Interesting.

"What we do on our own time is none of your business, and I'll thank you to stay the hell away."

Both of them knew he was referring to himself. He was drinking her blood that smelled curiously similar to the vampire next to him.

"Such brutal words, Kiryuu." Kaname whispered, eyes narrowing further into mere scarlet slits. "If you're looking for someone to play doctor with, next time find someone with actual medical experience. Don't endanger those around you because you want to make someone feel better about getting you hurt. Blood loss is very dangerous," he glared at the crusted gauze patching Zero's stomach. "for those like you."

The hunter bristled at those words as he, but he knew the jackass was right. He chose to hold his tongue as he waited for Kaname to depart, refusing to turn his back to the vampire. Being near the beast gave him chills, even now they raised his hair on end. Tingles ran up his spine in dread, ripping at his frayed nerves that had nothing to do with the vampire.

A shrill shriek cut through the silence, bloodcurdling, feminine, familiar.

There was a race between the two men as they rounded corners, Kaname obviously much faster as they passed the night class, who were peeking curious heads out of the classroom. Some were grappling with indecision about following the two, only refusing to hesitate when smell hit full force.

Blood, and lots of it. Dread gripped its vice-like fingers around Zero's heart that threatened to hammer its was out of his chest. His breathing was labored, straining the wound on his abdomen and confirming that, yes, he had indeed cracked a rib. His own blood pounded in his ears, nearly drowning out the staccato of racing footfalls around him.

Arriving to the infirmary, the door was closed and locked, but the smell permeated, stronger than ever. With a swift kick, the door flew back into the wall, hanging by one hinge.

Before them was a sight that would haunt Zero forever—several lacerations graced the white skin of a young girl, her entrails splayed out before her as if they had just exploded from her center. Her auburn hair was darkened with her own blood, red pooling so completely around her little body. Eyes wide with fear, Yuuki stared blankly, unseeing at Zero's face.

Zero, in turn was rooted to the spot. He felt high, as if his mind and body were having serious miscommunication issues. He could barely hear Kaname's shouts at the night class to stay back, several having to restrain Aidou as well as themselves. He was the only other one besides Zero who had tasted Yuuki's blood, not that many had caught on to the fact that he was a vampire too.

His injuries didn't hurt anymore. He couldn't even feel the raging burn of thirst that should have flared up with so much blood in the air. He could only feel the trembling breaths wracking his lungs, becoming worse and worse. The scene suddenly started to shake, and Zero was detached from reality, nothing more than a prisoner of his subconscious, trapped within his own brain. His mind was calm as can be as he watched the scene unfold, but the same could not be said for his physical self. There were some arguments as the screaming started all around him. No... no, no, **NO**! He didn't kill Yuuki, so why was the screaming so loud in his ears?

Belatedly, Zero realized that the screaming was so close because it came from his own throat. It was an odd sensation that fascinated him to no end as his eyes remained unmoving from Yuuki's blank chocolate stare. He could feel an annoying pull on the top of his skull, unsurprised to find his fingers tangled in his hair.

No, this didn't make sense. Less than a literal five minutes ago she was smiling and blushing. Now? His brain was too slurred to even try to fathom what could have possibly happened.

Her eyes swum before his own, the chocolate clouding over more noticeably as the minutes passed like seconds.

Things had gone quiet before his senses faded to white, and the floor swirled up to kiss his face.

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

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A one Rin coin was introduced in Japan in 1873, made of copper, and are sold these days for a good amount of cash. The point of the coin is to demonstrate Kaien's age, or how long he keeps crap around, and be a filler for where we would usually akin the taste to a penny. Though personally, I think my blood tastes like iron, and nothing like a penny. Meh.

Reviews: Feed the Beast

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	2. Chapter Two: Catch My Breath

**A/N:** (Sorry, this one will be long)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciated it. There's quite a few people out there who hate our gentle princess Yuuki eh? I love writing gore scenes, so I figured I might as well make it good! For those who hate her, thank you for the enthusiasm! For those who showed pity for her, thank you for caring.

A special thank you goes out to **Michi-chi** for being the first reviewer, and to **Vulpes velox** for giving a long and insightful review. I love long reviews most of all, especially when reflecting on the story, and when the reader shares their thoughts. You have convinced me to go with my original desire to make this a serious Yaoi, focusing both on raw hot sex AND the relationship behind it.

I mean, let's face it, we all know that a lemon is more savory with some depth. =)

I type up the entirety of my stories on the **Edit/Preview Document **window because I am so used to the FFN fonts and formats, and have done things before like delete more than half of my document in one foul swoop because my computer is crap. This is why the updates may take some time. I get frustrated, cry, and refuse to touch the piece for a few days. Losing your progress is very stressing, and I have since learned to copy the work before saving.

GOMENASAI. T_T

But I would like to say that I cannot write my stories any other way, trust me, I've tried. This little window is magical and gets the creative juices a-flowin'. I'm going to be typing college term papers in this window probably, just because I can't do it anywhere else, and for that, I am PHAIL. ='(

Here's to hoping I made you laugh a little.

As for who's actually going to be topping, I'm trying to work on the dynamics of it right now. Perhaps that will be part of the mystery, (this is a mystery/romance) trying to find out who will play seme. XD

I promise to you all that I will put forth my best effort and then some when writing this story. I hope that I don't disappoint you, my precious and beloved audience.

_*bows*

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

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Zero was floating. Had that fall cracked open his skull? Was he dead? No, he was sure hell would be much worse than this... nothingness. Heaven had already been ruled out because one, he was thoroughly cursed, and two, Yuuki wasn't here. Then was this purgatory? It would explain the absence of all existence but his.

Maybe, if Zero was lucky, he had really been knocked out by Lily. The blow _had_ caused him to double over, maybe he got kicked in the head too, got a concussion, and he was dreaming on, blissfully unaware.

But he was never lucky.

If he was luckier than that, then Yuuki was probably by his bedside, holding his hand, awaiting the moment he would awaken. Hey the girl had a strong sense of duty, and it was a big possibility. He had protected her, not because he thought she would reward him, but because she was too fragile to be touched, even by the likes of him.

That didn't stop her though. She was more than tough enough, she just looked fragile when in reality she would withstand him feeding from her and accept it with a smile, sometimes making him feed. She was much stronger than he was when it came to the heart.

Slowly, feeling came back to Zero, a headache first of all. Perhaps his last idea was correct. He could feel the rush of blood that belonged to her, still swimming strong in his. Every inch he gained back in feeling was accompanied with a ton's worth of lead, weighing him down. He felt stiff, as if he had been asleep for longer than he should have, which was probably the case.

A cool hand traced his face. They were too big to be Yuuki's, though still smooth. Mentally he frowned in disappointment.

Of course she was gone, it was foolish for him to think otherwise. Why else would those disturbing images be burned on the inside of his eyelids?

Zero felt his brows furrowed in stress and his mouth twist into a grimace, terrified of his own thoughts.

"_Shhhhhh,_"

Someone was trying to soothe him. Yuuki had always been the one to do that, _always_, she insisted, so he wouldn't know if it was the Chairman or what.

This mental moping wasn't like him. Sure it was one thing to dwell, but mope? If this is what he was like while unconscious, how would he act when he was awake? He wasn't going to have any of it. What was done was done. This wasn't like with Shizuka, he couldn't repress the death as if it were some transformation he was keeping at bay. This required a more hands on approach.

At the thought fingers trailed over his abs, up and down, in small circles, very lightly. Whoever this was, they probably considered him to be built. He could live with that, especially when these fingers, too, left his skin tingling. This warmth was different though, whereas Yuuki's was innocent, this type of warmth was more like a small flame. The tongues of this flame flared the longer the fingers rubbed against his skin. Zero's face relaxed as he focused on the enigma of comfort.

Could fire be wet at the same time? Wasn't that against the laws of physics? With this skin against skin contact, that didn't matter anymore, they dripped into his center, warming Zero's core, lifting the lead off of his body. The finger dipped shallowly into his belly button and vertigo hit the youth as he lay. The hand withdrew, most regrettably, when his other senses returned. He could smell the faint scent of sandalwood, more amber, and anesthetics.

Zero's eyelids fluttered open. A candle sat by the bed he was lying in. The first thing his eyes focused on was the scarlet of the canopy high above him. This wasn't his room. and it wasn't the infirmary, for which he was infinitely grateful.

Shifting minimally, he could feel the silk of the duvet beneath him, the softness of the pillow under his head, much nicer than anywhere else in Cross Academy.

Oh hell no.

This was not the place he was thinking of, it couldn't have been. It would piss him off after becoming so relaxed for the ordeal he had just gone through.

"So you're awake." a masculine voice mused, every bit as soft as the silk, from the foot of the bed. "I was beginning to fear that your head injury was worse than it appeared."

Keeping still, Zero noticed his state of undress, save for his boxers. The detail hadn't occurred to him since the room was too warm to be wearing anything. Where was Bloody Rose? How could he let himself become so vulnerable around the enemy? Yagari sensei would be flaming pissed if he were to ever find out what he had let happen.

Wait, something weird was going on.

Raising his head minimally, Zero's violet glare pierced Kaname's burnt sienna orbs. Light from the candle threw half of their faces into shadow. Zero chewed on the inside of his cheek for a second before asking with attitude.

"Were you the only one here a moment ago?"

Idiot! He should have been asking about his gun! Kaname narrowed his eyes a fraction.

"I've only just come back. I've instructed no one to come into the room, but I don't control them with the full extent of my prowess, so it's possible."

Zero brought up his hand to skim over the skin of his abdomen absentmindedly. The scent must have been from the bed, it was foolish of him to not make that connection at first. He knitted his brows and ground out another question, still petting his belly.

"Where am I?"

Kaname looked the silver haired teen over, eyes lingering at the attentions Zero gave to himself slightly longer than necessary.

"You must have been able to deduce that much for yourself in the first few moments of waking." the trace of a smile touched his lips.

"Where's Bloody Rose?"

Kaname frowned.

"You should be keeping track of your weapons, mister vampire hunter." he smirked as if he was enjoying some sort of private joke.

Only this time Zero was in on it. Sure, the pureblood could make fun of him, the ex human, all he wanted - just what he would expect from the jerk.

Sitting up suddenly to search for his weapon, Zero noticed that the pain that should have emanated from his abdomen was absent. He examined himself, not even seeing a scar from Lily's hoof. All the better for him.

The shine of light off of Bloody Rose caught his attention, sitting right next to the candle on the nightstand. Hastily, Zero grabbed the weapon and checked the magazine. Still full. He cocked the gun and pointed it to the foot of the bed to -

Nothing.

Kaname had left. Zero grimaced, wondering why he was doing so. Then again, he wasn't in the best of moods. He would have to start interrogating just about everyone in the school while his resolve to not mope was still strong. It would drive him forward, and probably bring justice to the late gentle princess. His heart gave a particularly painful lurch when he thought of her that way.

Well, since he was physically at the top of his game, why not start by tackling the vampires? They were the most suspicious. Later he would get to the humans, even the Chairman. No one could be left out of the interrogations. Never rule out any of the suspects because of the relationship they had to the victim, never.

After Kaname had confronted Zero about his relationship with Yuuki, jealously might he add, he was sure that the pureblood had already chewed the asses of every vampire in the vicinity. He was different from that beast, from the rest of them, and he was sure that a barrel full of lead death in front of their faces would spill a name or two. The leader was too soft on them. Were he, Zero, in a position of command over the aristocrats, things would have gone differently. Friends and family would have started disappearing one by one until some progress was made.

Who gave a damn if he was dressed in only boxers? He was going to get some answers soon, even if he had to bust a cap in their asses.

Starting to the door, Zero got a good view of the luxurious room. An expensive looking sofa sat off center in the chamber, scarlet like the bedspread, similarly to the plush carpet.

Was blood all these monsters ever had on their mind? He was beginning to get green afterimages when he blinked.

On the sofa, to his surprise, was Zero's school uniform. They were in pristine condition, he noticed upon approaching the articles. The clothes smelled like the bed, only the amber hint was more pronounced, recent. Had his clothes been cleaned? That was, strangely... thoughtful?

There had to be a catch.

He checked the material for any signs of thumbtacks, knowing that he was being paranoid, but he couldn't care less as he got dressed - none had been found.

Zero must have been out for a full day or so, he noted, glowing remnants of sunlight disappearing from behind the thick curtains of Kaname's bedroom.

Hesitantly, Zero stepped out into the hall. He wanted to get the advantage of seeing without being seen. His straightforward style would have to be one of the first things he changed in order to gain a better advantage. With his charge gone, Kuran was less likely to be friends, since she had been the only reason the pureblood tolerated him. He was all for not keeping up pretenses with the beast.

Nobody was upstairs, he realized, when he got to the curving staircase that led to the grand sitting room on the floor below. The entire night class was shifting around nervously, Kaname sitting on the sofa in the center of the room across from a scrutinizing Yagari and a distraught Chairman Cross. He didn't look his usual perky self, understandable since his daughter had been...

Stop it. He scolded himself for almost falling back into moping. Zero wouldn't follow the traditional forty-nine day mourning period - too much would happen and Yuuki's murderer would get off without so much as a guilty thought. So much might have already happened.

"Only makes it worse since there's no body to bury." Chairman sobbed.

What? Zero listened more intently, feeling his tempers flare. What happened to the body? Who had dared to desecrate Yuuki's remains? Were there at least pictures? He probably wouldn't need them, with all that he had seen first hand.

Perhaps this case was more serious than he thought.

His training as a member of the Hunter's Association was starting to kick in now. It was rare that anything this serious in nature were to happen, so Zero never had to utilize any of those extra skills. He would have to make a list of suspects numbered in order of interrogation priority. Beneath the people that had been closest to her, the list would have to be compiled out of answers to questions like; did she have any enemies? Would anyone have benefited from her death? Was there something that she had witnessed that would lead to the need of her silence? Have there been any grudges?

He could start answering some of those questions immediately.

"It seems that Secret Agent Man has decided to eavesdrop on us." Kaname chuckled shortly from his reclining spot.

What's up with the good mood Kuran?

Kaien and Yagari turned to face Zero from their different positions, the Chairman slumped forward with tiredness, sensei mirroring the pureblood's reclining. Kaien's face was puffy, leaking with mucous. The man looked like if his heart had been crushed, and Zero's gave a sympathizing throb. Yagari sensei looked at Zero with shrewd eyes, a hint of sympathy softening the sharpness of his blue irises.

A few of the vampires looked up, genuinely surprised that Zero was even awake. Kaname, on the other hand, looked smug at catching him, so much so that he should have had canary feathers around his lips.

"Everyone upstairs," he continued. "We need to talk in private."

That was his cue. Zero frowned, as he took the stairs down, being thrown dirty looks by the aristocrats. They could bite his vampire hunting ass, excuse the small pun. Maybe then he would get a good enough excuse to blow their heads off. Much to his displeasure, Yagari and Kaien took up all the space on the couch opposing the pureblood. He decided to stand. Kaname stared at him menacingly out of the corner of his eye. Where had the good mood gone, hm?

"Sit down, Kiryuu, I won't bite." he leaned forward slightly, smirking at the joke, earning a matching pair of frowns from Yagari and Zero. Perhaps the pureblood had gone bipolar? The Chairman took no notice of the animosity, silently imploring the youth with his eyes to sit before his head fell into his hands.

Zero sighed heavily, sickly sweet amber flooding his nostrils, probably from their skin, and reluctantly did as he was asked. The damn vampire stench was attacking him everywhere he went, overpowering his sense of smell. The two pairs sat in a rather awkward silence for a few moments, the hunter becoming desensitized to the scents. Other hints promoted themselves - one cinnamon with tobacco, the other earthy with mint and a dash of something else...

"We were just in the middle of discussing security measures for the rest of the day class." Kaname lied, which Zero was fine with. Neither of them wanted to talk about Yuuki, and with good reason.

"The academy's gone to hell and you've been asleep throughout the beginning." Yagari said in a low tone, pulling out a cigarette. "Mind if I light up?" he asked Kaname, wanting to keep altercations at a minimum.

"Go ahead." the pureblood nodded. The Chairman sniffled and sat upright to retrieve an ashtray from inside his jacket, clearly anticipating his friend's habits.

"The day class will have to be contained within the dorms, they've already been locked in and searched so far, notice was sent to their parents. I have Sayori Wakaba patrolling the corridors with two of her other friends, all three volunteers. We've given them minor hunter's weapons and charms. The night class has been on lock down as well until further notice, so we can clear the names of those who are innocent and enlist their help." Kaien's voice trembled but didn't break. He had been thinking of this for a while apparently.

"We've already had to calm this one down twice."

Catching Zero's puzzled look, Yagari nodded in the direction of a silent Kuran, both not caring if the detail was shared.

"Anger will do no good now. We should be focusing on finding answers." Kaname stated.

The pureblood next to Zero was almost like a different person than the one that had been taunting him upstairs. Stress rolled of the man in waves, no doubt he was having as hard a time as he was. It still didn't make much sense since he had few reasons to be close to Yuuki. The two barely had much contact though it was always fond.

It didn't make much sense to Zero, a man of logic, then again the loophole of love held no logic, so it had been said. Perhaps he was the only one who had been able to find the logic in everything. Would that make him too analytical? There wasn't such a thing in his book. That just made the whole world blind.

It looked like the only thing they ever agreed upon would make them allies in this quest for justice. Reluctant allies, but allies nonetheless. As much as he hated to admit it, there were things that Kuran could do that he could not.

So then he would just use the pureblood to his advantage. Simple really. Now that that had been decided, it would take him only a few minutes to devise a dozen or so possible courses of action, predicting outcomes based on personality and chance... Damn, why hadn't he paid close attention to these beasts as individuals? His own haughty air would cost him precious time. Kaien's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What do you think Zero-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Damnit. Cut the idiot student crap. You've been out for over a day, now's not the time to fall asleep." Yagari barked. "We waited with several procedures because we knew you would want to take charge in the investigation."

Smoke curled out of his mouth while he spoke, flecking the ash off of the cigarette into the tray on the coffee table. Irritated, Zero gave him a pointed look.

"I was already midway through planning the steps and actions necessary to make all this happen." he smirked at Yagari's displeasure in his advancement in thinking. "What was the question?"

"They wanted to know if you could investigate the day class first. It would take less time to thumb through them than the night class." Kaname interjected.

"I don't think so, and allow the vampires to dispose of any evidence that may link them to the murder?" he inwardly flinched at the word. "I won't let that happen."

Kaname's features became a bit darker.

"Insinuating that I can't keep my own in line?" the pureblood mused. "If anyone so much as breathes in a suspicious manner I won't hesitate to prosecute them."

The venom in his voice was slightly reassuring to Zero, who in turn, chewed on the interior of his cheek in a second's worth of contemplation.

"We'll be here while you investigate." the Chairman reassured him.

The young hunter opened his mouth to protest, but was met with three expectant stares. His voice died before escaping, knowing he couldn't pursue an angle of mistrust any longer.

"Fine." he ground out, stomach rumbling in unison.

"That's right," Kaien belatedly fumbled through his jacket, producing a small silver tin to toss. "You must be starving." Zero caught it, the contents clunking mutely.

"Oddly enough, just for actual food." he pocketed the tin of tablets. Kaien's brows rose in surprise.

"Strange." he sniffled. "I'll make you something."

"No thanks. You'll snot in the food probably." Zero frowned. "I can make my own when I return. I should probably make a suspect list first..." he muttered to himself.

"You're probably right." the Chairman sighed.

"Well now that everyone's got an assignment, we should get on with it." Yagari outed the remains of his third cigarette in the ashtray before standing up dragging Kaien to his feet without much difficulty. "We'll patrol the outsides." he called back to them before both men exited.

Kuran sat next to Zero, less stressed than a few moments ago, though now the air was more tense with the mediators gone. He stared up at the ceiling, momentarily lost in thought. Zero sprung up, unable to stand sitting next to the vampire any longer, and began to follow suit. A gentle tug of the tail of his jacket made him turn to face the now standing pureblood - the movement was undetectable. They measured each other up, Kaname topping Zero's height by a mere two inches. He turned and motioned to a room to the side the hunter couldn't see into.

Raising his eyebrows, Zero gave the pureblood a questioning look in the middle of the very empty sitting room. Kaname only smirked and encircled a large, smooth hand around his wrist. The teen shot him a lavender glare, instantly jerking back from the touch, but the strong hand stayed with him, burning from the flesh on flesh contact. Burning in a good way....

Kaname stepped closer, looking left and right before he took Zero's other hand that had begun to reach for his Bloody Rose, and forced a small square item into his palm.

Insistently tugging the hunter closer, Kaname motioned to the far off room again, pressing something long and hard into the palm of his other hand, making Zero's heart miss a beat while he fingered a ridge. The pureblood smirked as he spoke in hushed tones to his ear.

_"__Come..."

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**A/N:**I'm evil aren't I? ^.~

Think of this as part of the mystery genre.

Lots of love to you all, **_please_ review** and give me some love too.

-Kagamichihime

PS: Get ready for the next chapter! XD


	3. Chapter Three: Spirit

A/N: I work hard on my fics. I research and verify as best I can before writing some of the seemingly most insignificant things. I also check back with my prior chapters to try and avoid inconsistencies, editing over and over, lengthening the chapters (unintentionally).

Please enjoy.

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"Come." Kaname repeated when Zero didn't move. The hunter looked down, narrowing his eyes while the pureblood led him into another room. "Didn't you want this?"

"...Yeah." he looked at the new area, a sort of high class kitchen he was guessing.

"Sit down and make your list, I'll prepare food." Kaname indicated to the breakfast nook where there was a bar style area. The silver haired teen pulled out a chair and did as he was asked. He uncapped a marker to doodle on a pad of post its, both given to him by the pureblood, leftover from their meeting with Kaien. He felt disgruntled, watching the enemy drape an apron around himself before cracking a few eggs. The air of tension was still palpable with Zero scrutinizing Kaname's every move, making sure the pureblood didn't poison him.

"I didn't know you could cook." one corner of his mouth pulled down in skepticism. He didn't think any of the 'high class' vampires had any typical homemaker skills after that fiasco Aidou had put them through a few weeks ago.

"Nobody really wants me cooking around here because of my status, but it's something I learned out of sheer curiosity." the pureblood smirked. Zero raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he muttered noncommittally, attention on a list he was preparing. "probably not 'cause of your status, probably because it's terrible..." Kaname chose to ignore that.

**Sequence - Humans  
**

1. Sayori Wakaba

2. Kaien Cross

3. Day Class Females

4. Day Class Males

5. Touga Yagari

The list wasn't very impressive, but it was the only sequence he could think of since he hadn't paid attention to anyone other than those select few, Sayori only because she was around Yuuki a lot. He didn't think of the humans did anything, but then again, don't rule out anyone. A probable exception could have been Kuran, who had been with him when the murder took place. He would still keep an eye open, even though he didn't think the pureblood would do such a thing.

The scent of cooking sausage overpowered all other smells in the room, awakening the human carnivore in a famished Zero. Kaname chuckled under his breath while he tipped food onto a plate, tinkling cutlery on porcelain as he slid it down the bar and turned off the stove. The hunter eyed his meal carefully, wondering if he should trust the innocent looking breakfast, suspicious as to why Kuran hadn't bothered making any for himself. Stomach snarling again, he found that he didn't care about that anymore before attacking his plate.

Kaname silently brought a goblet of water to Zero, placing one of his own down on the bar before sitting. He left one empty stool between them. Zero looked up from his meal, which wasn't that bad for such a simple fix, and noticed a spot of dark red along the inside of the pureblood's right wrist. Nearly choking on his food, the hunter looked away, avoiding a questioning glance from Kuran, who had not noticed his discovery.

Was he taking Yuuki's death harder than Zero thought? It looked like there was a deep slit along the aristocrat's porcelain skin. Had he done that to himself out of depression? Anger? It was next to impossible that someone else had done that to him, or there would have more than likely been a second death at Cross Academy the moment it happened.

Finishing the modest breakfast, Zero contemplated just downing the water without dissolving any pseudo blood. He eyed the cup given to him with interest. Its top was made of crystal while the stem was a very detailed pewter visage of a curling dragon - glass molding fixed carefully between his rows of teeth. Its wings folded elegantly into a smooth grip near the top of the stem.

Damn rich pricks.

Kaname pulled a golden tin from behind the bar, opening it to reveal more blood tablets. He took a pair and plopped them unceremoniously into his drink before shoving the tin in the hunter's general direction. Zero didn't bother touching it. The pureblood mirrored his lack of action, not making a move for his concoction, opting to stare intently at him out of the corner of his eyes. He was waiting. The silver haired teen honestly didn't care if Kuran didn't drink his meal, but sighed and took a tablet anyways, thawing out the still brunette.

What a pain.

The tablet dissolved faster than usual. Zero took the goblet to his lips, pausing when he smelt a strong scent emanating from the cup.

"Is there a problem?" Kaname quirked a brow.

"Not at all." Zero drank deeply, draining the glass of all its contents. The bitter taste of vodka burned his throat, but he ignored the feeling, smacking his lips soundly. He didn't care at all for the liquid, even when mingled with blood. This was the first time he had ever drunk, despite what people might have thought of him. He never saw the need until now.

Heat rushed to the hunter's cheeks, from the drink no doubt. It slightly blurred his vision, bringing a pleasant feeling during these hard times. Why hadn't he bothered with this when he was younger, when he had first been bitten?

"It buys the mind time to relax when it's unaffordable." the pureblood stated nonchalantly, eying his goblet. "Drink affects everyone differently, but you should be able to hold your liquor."

Zero busied himself with collecting his plate, glass and cutlery, reinspecting his list. While eating he had scrawled out questions that would help direct the path of investigation.

"I believe that you've got an appointment with members of the day class."

Kaname sat stationary in the same position, leisurely sipping on his spirit. Zero was unsure if that was a dismissal or what, but he refused to be lead around by the haughty aristocrat, even if he had just cooked him breakfast. He was, however, correct. Picking up his dishes, the hunter dropped them into the sink and returned to the bar to gather his notes.

"No words of thanks?" Kaname's expression was stoic while he asked, carefully gauging the other teen's body language.

"Thanks for not poisoning me." he growled in an undertone before turning away.

"One day I'll break you from that rude habit of yours." muttered the pureblood, dipping a finger into his drink to toy with the crystal rim. It sung beneath his fingers, high pitched, trembling.

The sound made a shiver run up Zero's spine. He left the room, deciding to get the first bit of interrogations over with. It would take no longer than half an hour if students were cooperative.

Heading down the stone pathway, Zero could see Kaien - hair down, flowing, glasses nowhere to be seen - running the perimeter with a hunter's sword. Yagari mirrored him from an opposite direction, both heading for the gate at a breakneck pace. They were more than likely practicing drills. Zero kind of respected the Chairman, focusing on the task set for him instead of incessantly mourning over his daughter. Maybe a little of that focus rubbed off on him after all his time of being the man's unofficial son.

"State your name and business!" Yagari barked as all three approached the wrought iron gate at the same time.

"Kiryuu, I'm going to question the day class."

He felt irritated at being stopped, but was glad to see that they were taking their duty seriously.

"Took you long enough." Touga complained, swinging his rifle over a shoulder. Kaien nudged him in reprimand.

"Proceed." Chairman nodded.

He took out a small golden key to turn in the massive padlock. The gate screeched ominously in both opening and closing, chains rattling from sudden movements. Once the lock was back in place, both men turned tail and ran back in the opposite direction, beginning to make an unseen circuit around the grounds.

Zero knew that a simple brick and iron defense would do no good against vampire powers. All they had to do was jump the gate. It had been implemented, instead, to keep _humans_ from _them_. Their beauty lured many, and that was especially true with the bunch of hormonal teenage humans at this Academy.

The night air was disturbingly calm for the given situation, possibly because he was intoxicated. The hunter's mind was free to flit from thought to thought without worry of pondering anything deeply. This drinking thing was just as Kuran had said. Even more, it kept him from caring much as his mind fogged further. The feeling was slightly similar to the other night, being able to sit pretty inside your mind with who knows what going on around you.

Remembering his health education, Zero realized that his dizziness would probably get worse - the absorption of alcohol was slowed down by food in the system. How much had he drunk again? Maybe ten ounces, it was just one glass, but amount mattered, body mass, the mood it was drunk in, and perhaps most importantly, tolerance of the drinker.

Tolerance is what it all came down to for him, just like always.

And it was unfortunate that for as strong as he was, Zero didn't have that much of it.

So what would that have been? One and a half ounces of vodka per drink into ten ounces would give him the length of time he would remain drunk... It took his dulled mind a second longer to do the math, considering the conversion he had to do for time.

Over six hours.

**_Fuck._**

A fork in the wide pathway appeared, forming a Y. The academy sat to his right, the dorms on his left. The hunter stopped midway, shoes gritting loose pebbles against the ground. He leaned a bit to the right, compelled to investigate the crime scene.

The wind blew a hint of stale blood around him, and Zero's legs gave way. He crumpled into a heap on the ground in the middle of the walkway, dry, shaky sobs escaping his throat. It seemed as if the alcohol clouded his judgments worse than he thought. He realized that now was not the time to have a breakdown over something small like smelling dried blood, but without his inner inhibitions, emotions were free to pass through his tough mask when they pleased.

Reigning in what bits of control he could muster, Zero turned on the spot, back facing the fork in the road. He would take a moment to steel his nerves, which couldn't be done while facing a decision - even a small one. No, it was much easier to stare back on a path that he was sure of. The steady single line ahead of him was comforting, familiar territory that he had already tread once before.

Everything changed overnight. The two options behind him - an empty school and a dorm full of humans, were the closest thing to home he had. Now he would gladly take an entire building of bloodsucking beasts to dwelling in either of those places for very long.

"Just get it the fuck over with." Zero muttered, determined to put the fading scent in the back of his mind.

Cursing had given him the strength to stop his pathetic display, the rough and masculine emotion behind it bestowing enough strength back into his form to press on. The hunter stood, noticing the sickly pale light of the moon peeking from behind the trees. From here he could tell it wasn't a sickle, probably three fourths full, providing excellent illumination.

Looking over his shoulder, Zero could see his long dim shadow, spilling down the left side of the fork.

"Now's not the right time, huh?"

With a final glance to Luna, something caught his eye, something crimson, two somethings. His heart gave a painful throb as an uncalled image came forth. Yuuki lay again, staring without seeing like before. Her warm brown gaze cooled while the picture faded around the edges, two crimson orbs eerily haunting the disappearing scene. It was something overlooked.

From a window on the highest level of the Moon Dorms, a pureblood prince's gaze struck a chord deep within within the ex-human. His own eyes lit up in response, warmth flooding through his body before the prince walked away from the window, leaving an unsatisfying gap in the scene. The brunette looked right, standing against the lattice windows, awaiting the teen's return.

Through the fuzz of his mind, Zero dropped all trains of thought and proceeded with his task, keeping to the left.

It seemed as if nobody was guarding the gates. That would have to be corrected right away. The newly appointed guardians probably didn't know that a simple iron defense wouldn't keep a bunch of vampires away from them. Had the trio been told about vampires? Kaien said he had given them minor hunter's weapons, charms even. To what extent had he warned or informed them? Sayori was an intuitive girl and could probably handle the truth. He didn't know anything about the other two, but he decided to talk to them as well if they were connected with her. They might have had some sort of relationship with the Yuuki too, and it was worth looking into.

Approaching another gate, Zero mentally calculated the distance, again delayed, deciding when would be the right time to execute his jump. With a short harsh laugh, he thought about a few ways to do just that, execute the killer. The hunter made a lithe leap, sticking the landing before purposely falling back on his rear.

Feathers of an arrow cut into the sleeve of his black school jacket before striking the ground. A symbol appeared around the arrow, a small diamond with ovals at its corners, like a sort of Celtic sign. It was the white sealing light of a hunter's weapon. Perhaps the humans were a bit more alert than he gave them credit for, though for which reason he sill did not know.

"Who goes?" a deep voice floated down from the canopies.

Were Zero any more disoriented than he was, he might have thought the trees were speaking to him. With all the weird shit that was already happening, sure, why the hell not? While impaired he would have believed it.

Something with more mass cut through the air, whistling past Zero's head before circling around and retreating.

"My next throw won't miss!" A feminine voice threatened. Two figures fell from opposite ends of the courtyard, one brandishing a boomerang as long as her arm, the other notching a second arrow. Zero drew Bloody Rose at the male who looked like he could be another cousin of Aidou and Kain. Both humans held their ground unflinchingly.

Impressive, for their species.

"Kiryuu, Zero. Just who the hell are you two?" he stood with little trouble. The pair lowered their weapons in recognition, the male keeping an arrow in its position, but slacking the bowstring.

"Sorry Kiryuu," he said awkwardly. "We cant take any chances, we _are_ guarding the entire dorm."

"Well here's a tip." Zero snapped. "Don't sit stationary, your enemy could find a way around your defenses, then what? You may not have realized yet, but this is real life. A small mistake like that can mean death for scores of innocents."

"Alright, it won't happen again." the boy exasperatedly ran a hand through his hair, sweeping it back. The hunter advanced in a flash, barrel pressing into the archer's temple. Both guardians visibly tensed, all three in the light of the moon where they could get a better look at each other.

"Never lower your defenses in the presence of someone you don't know better than yourself. Even then it's dangerous." he growled.

What could he expect? They just started the job, he probably shouldn't have given them such a hard time, but with the spirit in his system and their determination strong, he couldn't help but warn them through example. Though he didn't like the duty, Zero still took it seriously and these two would follow suit. He was doing his job as a prefect by passing on the teachings.

"Names?" he asked expectantly.

"Takahashi, Haine."

"Tsume, Yuri."

They answered at once. Zero lowered the gun, looking them over. The male, Haine had hair or a straw color like Akatsuki and the same sort of patience with the hunter, only he smelled human. Weird. The female, Yuri, was blond with straight medium length hair and icy blue eyes. If these were human counterparts of the cousins in the moon dorm, much was to be said about Aidou. The thought made Zero have to bite back a laugh before he felt a sharp blood scented edge near his throat.

"What are you doing?" he asked stiffly with annoyance, wrinkling his nose.

"Taking advantage of your trust, and correcting my mistake." Haine stated. Zero smirked, he liked this one. The boy returned his smirk, sheathing the short knife before retrieving his fallen arrow.

"I'm hoping you don't need an escort to the building. With the possible enemies around we'll have a hard enough time guarding all of the day class as it is." Yuri spoke up.

The hunter was again curious to find out how much they knew about vampires, but he would save it for later.

"I don't, thanks." Zero replied in a clipped tone. "I do, however, have a few questions for you to answer."

Yuri's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"If it's about Cross-san's death you don't have to worry, we had no part in it." she said scathingly.

"Why should I believe you?" he asked acidly.

"We have an alibi." she crossed her arms in defense, a faint blush dusted her cheeks.

"Which would be?"

"We were in the dorms, we had a prior engagement." Haine answered with a straight face.

Zero could feel sincerity radiating from the both of them at the statement, embarrassment from Yuri's direction. Something clicked, and he wrinkled his nose unconsciously. Haine's brows drew together as he frowned.

"Don't act like you're above all that Kiryuu. We saw how you looked at Cross-chan."

"That's right! You've wanted her, tried to hide it, but we aren't the idiots you make us out to be. You were jealous over Kaname sempai's monopolizing of her feelings. Personally I think you're the most suspicious character around here!"

It was the wrong thing to say.

The hunter's expression was livid as his glazed violet glared black death into the blond's eyes. She flinched and shrunk back, very much afraid of the incensed man before her. And rightfully so! How dare she suggest he ever do anything to harm Yuuki? How dare she act like she knew anything when the opposite was true? He was ready to tear into somebody's throat.

"Have you been drinking Kiryuu? You might want to calm down." Haine warned when he noticed the stupor. "You might not be able to keep your temper in check." he moved between the two, ready to take any damage in place of Yuri. That simple gesture woke Zero to another facet of his current reality of a life without Yuuki.

He no longer had anyone to protect.

A knot formed in his chest.

"You're being unreliable."

A familiar smooth voice was followed by a deep shadow, all three of the guardians pointed their weapons at the intruder. Kaname descended from his perch on the gate and landed next to Zero. The knot tightened.

"I've already told you that brooding would be of no use when it came to your duty, but it's just like you to ignore my warnings."

"Why aren't you back at your dorms keeping watch on the others?" Zero accused.

"The Chairman and Yagari sensei can handle it." the pureblood answered coolly.

While the hunter didn't doubt that, the situation wasn't to his liking.

"Go back." the command was flat.

He put away Bloody Rose, the other two relaxed from their stances then. The building wasn't far, he figured he just had to talk to Yori, and if she was innocent enough, he would have her interview the rest of the humans so he could focus on the real suspects.

"You dare order me around?" the air became heavy, Haine and Yuri tensed, sensing the apparent malice in the pureblood's words.

"Er, you'll have to forgive him sempai, he's a little under the influence." Haine muttered, unsure as to whether or not he'd be reprimanded.

Kaname seemed to pause in his advancement, considering his words before finally speaking again.

"Run along you two, keep up your rounds."

Nodding, the new guardians backed away to make a circuit, hesitantly casting worried glances at the silver haired teen, who in turn, as if including himself in the request, headed inside the dorms.

It was dark. Even for vampire eyes.

The hand on his shoulder was expected, but before he could shrug it off and yell at the pureblood, he found the scenery around him blurring while his body was spun around. Without missing a beat, an open palm struck across his face with the force of a punch, snapping his head back in the direction he had just come. Kaname slammed Zero into a nearby wall, almost putting him through it, roughly catching a wrist.

_"I'll forgive you for the cheek, but do not turn your back on me before I finish with you."_ his words were deadly, the tone silky and seductive. _"Unless it's the only way I **can**... finish with you. And even then you'll do it **under** my orders."_

Interesting choice of words. That man was a true sadist if he could easily talk that way after harming someone, Zero was sure, and pissed. He could feel a warm trickle sluicing down his cheek, a hot gaze following it.

Kaname made a show out of slowly, sensually licking around his own bloodied fingertips, taking one into his mouth to suck gently. A soft moan of approval escaped his throat as he closed his eyes for a moment to savor the flavor. Liquid heat shot through Zero's body, melting away the anger and replacing it with desire.

God that was sexy.

His eyes widened in horror - from the pureblood's reaction or his own thoughts, he wasn't sure. He was praying that it was the alcohol. Maybe the brunette was drunk as well? He had to have been, that would explain his rough and tantalizing actions. They were both completely out of character. He wasn't sure if he was more, dare he say it? Scared, -

_"Zero..."_

Or turned on. The gentle whisper made him erratic. Kuran had never called him by his first name before. His mind stuttered, wondering if he should call back to him.

Fingers burrowed into his silver hair, twining around the locks with unnecessary force. His abuser's stare softened as if he was sorry for what he had done, but the hunter knew that wasn't true. He desired a tighter grip, refusing to believe the moment was real. More pain was necessary for him to wake up.

_"Need..."_

Kaname was nearly a slave to his bloodlust in that moment, poof in his lit crimson eyes. Turmoil waged beneath the glow, a war between two desires. He was never unsure of himself. What was more important to him than sating his hunger? It must have been a while since he had drunk from another person. Zero was captivated by the way they smoldered, pleased by the fact that they were in response to _his_ blood.

Reaching a decision, the pureblood came closer for the second time that evening, nature more timid than he had ever let anyone see. He touched his chest to the hunter's - the effect like a shot of morphine into the teen's heart. It soothed the pains of abuse and grief as their heartbeats synced. Zero's eyes lit up as well, perhaps from Kaname's influence?

Lips parting, the pureblood's dripping scarlet tongue slipped between them, ready to lap at the welling liquids. Zero could smell the allure of blood in the air, mingling with the amber of Kaname's skin. The sweet warmth of his breath washing over Zero's face made his already drunk mind heady, and a desire for a close in the gap bloomed from his racing heart, _theirs_.

Their eyes locked in that moment. The brunette turned his head a fraction to gain a better vantage point. His eyes flickered to the hunter's mouth for a fraction of a second, stirring up the heat when he licked his own lips unconsciously, preparing himself. They could practically taste each other already.

Sin was only a breath away...

_"Kana..."_

It happened quickly.

**"YAMETE!"**

A flash of silver swooped down from above, breaking the men apart. Bewildered, both looked up to reprimand the intruder in the embarrassment of getting caught. They were silenced, their synced hearts both stopping and disappearing completely from their bodies when they gazed down at the object that had forced them apart.

The Artemis Rod.

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**A/N: **This chapter fell way short of my expectations, but I guess I'll be calling it necessary groundwork? I'm sorry if it bored you.**  
**

I almost typed "Lily" instead of Yuri, which is the same thing. I like that name, even if it's the name of the horse from hell in this manga.** But as for Haine and Yuri, they aren't OC's, they're actual factual VK characters**, they've appeared within the last few chapters with Yori and have spoken with Zero. That was after the one year time lapse, so the situation above is their first meeting in this fic. They are unnamed so far in the manga, and it was annoying, so I named them, rather appropriately for their appearance I think. I believe that "Haine" means something along the lines of sound of ash. I thought the name was appropriate since he looked like Kain, who's special powers are fire. Tsume means claw. I make her out to be a feisty girl.

**Reviews:** I would love you forever. Do you have any predictions for the next chapter? For what might be going on? Did this chapter raise any questions with you? I pretty much have it all planned out, but if you make a prediction I find particularly intriguing, I may incorperate it in the loosely formed plot I already have going.


	4. Chapter Four: Secrets and Slips

Sorry its days and an couple hours late. DX I apologize in advance for any issue you might find with it. I didn't have time to do a thorough edit since I was so excited about churning this chapter out.

Thank you to all who have reviewed so far. Your responses encourage me to keep writing. ^^ Special thanks goes out to **xXxDarkenedAngelxXx** and **Eyes17k** for reviewing every chapter so far. Much love goes out to you both!

I have author's notes at the bottom (What a surprise!!) explaining some scenes in this chapter. Enjoy the new POV when you get to it. ^^

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"I told you to be careful, Sayori-chan."

"You're the one who grabbed my weapon and charged up to them." her voice was coarse with stress.

"Don't tell them that!"

"You knew who they were, you were just looking for an excuse to spy."

A girl with short straw colored hair rounded he corner. She had observed the scene in the foyer with difficulty. Darkness concealed most of the details, but from the faint silhouettes, she knew something important probably happened.

Zero glared at his twin in anger, grabbing the chance at a distraction.

"What the hell are you doing sneaking around? Is there something you're trying to hide?"

"I can ask you the same thing, oniisan." he wrinkled his nose as he surveyed the pair of vampires.

"I was waiting for you two." Sayori sighed, flipping a switch.

Lights illuminated the room, making all three men flinch slightly. The living area here looked more like typical school housing than a castle, unlike in the Moon Dorms.

"I figured you would come to ask me questions sooner or later," she snatched Artemis from Ichiru, who didn't argue. "so what do you want?"

The hunter eyed Yori speculatively. She had definitely seen better days - with pale skin, her eyes were puffy and red, dark circles lining the underside of her eyelids. Finally! Someone was having the correct reaction to Yuuki's death. The Chairman didn't count, as he understandably had to place his focus on more pressing matters, but Yori was different. She wouldn't be conducting the investigation, so she had time to grieve with loose emotions. Her hand was even turning pink from the excessive force with which she had grabbed the metal staff. His heart skipped a beat.

"Why do you have Artemis?" Kaname was visibly upset, and with good reason.

It was unclear whether the mood was related to getting caught, he'd really have to stop considering it that way, or the fact that Yori had Yuuki's weapon. The thought made Zero bristle unexpectedly, but it was an excellent observation. Why _did_ she?

"It chose me. Don't blame others for things they can't control."

Her small frame started trembling. Zero opened his mouth to make a query before he was cut off by Ichiru, who had gone to place a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Let's sit down," he insisted more to her than anyone else. "You shouldn't be overexerting yourself."

"Un. Go on, I'm heading to the bathroom."

"Can you go on your own?"

"I'll be fine." she bat his fingers away before disappearing into a side room.

"Well?"

Ichiru sat on a small armchair, waving to a couch on its opposite. The vampires made their way to the furniture, Zero staggering once, to which Kaname made no offer to help. The uncomfortable part of the tension between them was back full force. Even though it was just one person, this was in public, and evidently, they were going to keep up appearances. Guilt prickled away at his insides. That called another question to mind, as he didn't have a reason to feel guilty. He looked to Ichiru, surprised by the fact that he was apparently a triplet. His stomach churned.

"Damn alcohol..." he muttered under his breath. The guilt inside him pulsed once.

"What was that?" Ichiru asked, scooting over so a returning Yori could sit on an arm of the chair. He took one of her hands between his, running his fingers over the flushing pink skin before sending a disapproving frown to the new guardian. She, in turn, averted her eyes and modestly pulled her hand away.

Nothing made sense anymore. Zero didn't know where to start. Luckily Kaname seemed to pick up on that and began questioning.

"Where and what were you two doing last night?"

"Here, arguing." They answered in unison.

"The whole dorm can account for us." Ichiru said matter-of-factly.

"So that's what the noise was." Kaname dismissed. "Since you were expecting us, I take it you've interviewed the rest of the day class?"

"Of course." Yori pipped up. "They all have excuses and witnesses to back up their claims, we've already checked."

The pureblood frowned, disappointed with the information he got. Apparently he was expecting to find something useful, though Zero had no idea why. Maybe he suspected humans as much as the hunter did to vampires - a rational thing to believe.

"You could always check the cameras." Ichiru suggested.

Panic flooded the room as everyone stilled. The hunter twin sat casually, relaxed as can be while he studied their expressions. Of course! Why hadn't Zero thought of that? Then again, how did his twin know about them? They were supposed to be concealed.

"What? You're saying a place like this doesn't even carry basic security?" he tutted.

So it was a guess? Relief filled him, blanketing the gripping fear in his heart.

"Unfortunately not, this place was meant to be inhabited by trusting individuals, so the Chairman didn't feel the need to use any upscale security of the sort." Kaname stood abruptly. "My apologies for intruding." he nodded to the pair, who acknowledged him in return with peculiar looks.

That's it? Kuran was so hellbent on Zero interviewing everyone only to believe a secondhand account? Never mind that he was about to do the same thing, but then what was the point in sending him over here if he was just going to find out the answers for himself? Another thing, why had he lied about the cameras? There was an ever growing list of questions surmounting, and he had a feeling that every one of them would have to be answered in order to find the killer.

This was going to take forever.

"Come on."

Now they were back to an unfamiliar basis? That was fine. Zero was determined to forget the whole episode that had happened prior to the conversation with Yori and Ichiru. The four separated - Sayori heading back into the bathroom, Ichiru lurking outside of it with a stony expression, he and Kuran traveling back along the outside path.

"Did you get the information you needed?" Haine implored.

"No one knew anything." Kaname shrugged, quickly crossing the yard to leap over the gate.

"What did I say?" he eyed the pureblood's retreating back unfavorably.

"Hell if I know." Zero grunted, following after.

The moon had been submerged in clouds, leaving a gauzy outline of light. Nearly an entire night of questioning was ahead for the night class, and the hunter was, for once, not looking forward to persecuting them. He just wanted to get rid of this stupor. Had Kuran gotten him drunk for this purpose? To confuse him? To keep something from him? To cover up for someone?

_"Zero..."_

His heart skipped a beat as he thought back. Okay, maybe not. Then was... what was that? Could it be the reason for all the alcohol?

"Is there a problem?"

Zero looked up, finding rust colored orbs inches away from his. Smoothly he brushed past, knocking the pureblood's shoulder for good measure. Fucking vampires with their creepy presence. He turned back only when he couldn't hear the perusal of footsteps.

"Go on. I'll join you eventually." Kaname reassured.

He began to walk down the path that Zero had refused to take earlier. A chill curled up his spine.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" his silver tongue cut through.

"To gather evidence. Go back to my room and wait for me there."

This ordering around crap was going to stop, right now. Zero's blood boiled; he wasn't ready to face the scene, but didn't want Kuran to get a jump on him either.

"I don't care who the hell you are, or who you think you might be, but you are not going to do whatever you damn well please about this without me!"

Kaname stopped to look over his shoulder with a smirk.

"Feeling a little left out?"

"You think this is all a damn joke, don't you?"

The pureblood's expression soured.

"You're the one who isn't taking this seriously. Who didn't want to interview the humans? Who wants to hold off interviewing the vampires until he can clear his head?"

"Don't you fucking snap at me for that! I am taking this seriously! You're the one pretending everything is fine laughing it off, cracking jokes with that sick humor of yours. We already know the humans didn't know anything, yet you still insist that we waste our time with them? Who gave me the alcohol?"

"No one forced you to drink it."

"I only did it so you would stop your freakish staring! You think that nobody can see when you do that but guess what, they can! Who the hell are you to know what I want?"

The knot in his chest tightened at those words. a look of anguish crossed Kaname's face.

"Who couldn't protect Yuuki?" he asked quietly.

The wind was let out of Zero's argument - he was right. Except he wasn't the only one who had loved her, two could play at that game.

"What's your excuse?"

He expected the fist that slammed into his gut not even a second later. Actually, he wanted it... another escape.

_**"You...!" **_the word was growled menacingly.

"I....... what?" he coughed.

"I'll tell you a little secret, Kiryuu," Kaname whispered in the hunter's ear as he folded in on the fist. "Yuuki was my sister."

Zero closed his eyes to the welcoming white abyss, the words not quite registering in his mind.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Kaname gently shifted the teen in his arms so he was comfortably supported. In a few long strides the pair were over the gate to the Moon Dorm grounds, green lighted by a confused Kaien and Touga, and heading up the stairs to the bedchambers.

"You finally put that kid in his place?" Ruka smiled, impressed with the pureblood.

"Hm?" his bros knit together in confusion before he looked down at Zero.

A thin line of blood dribbled down from the corner of his mouth.

Crap.

He didn't mean to make him bleed, he hadn't noticed actually. But now that he had, the spicy scent harassed his every thought. Other vampires were poking their heads out of their rooms, noses flaring to the sweet aroma of an authentic meal.

"Are we being tested or something?" Aidou complained. "First yesterday and now-"

The hand hit its mark, making the blond's hair fly in disarray, catching the small flecks of blood that dripped from the scrape in his cheek. Kaname had moved the hunter over his shoulder on one arm, catching Aidou with a returning backhand. He wasn't about to let the blond bitch to his heart's content about Yuuki's death with his half-assed regrets about not being able to clean up. The pureblood's hearing was much better than what anyone thought.

"Test yourself on that." he muttered, sparing the retreating vampires a side glance.

"Let's go before you get worse." Kain pulled his cousin into their room, fearing for the idiot.

"Kaname-sama, is there anything I can help you with?" Ichijou offered, noting that he was stressed.

"Solve this enigma." he answered in a low tone, bringing a hand up to support Zero's back before he could sag.

Aidou's eyes narrowed from inside his doorway. He licked his lips subconsciously as he watched the pair head further down the hall. Kaname checked his grip on the hunter before opening the door and sealing them inside.

"You're very troublesome, you know that?" the pureblood whispered as he lay the boy across his bed.

The room still held remnants of Zero's scent, which was helped by the fact that he had nearly been nude. Kaname wasn't about to undress him again, it would be much too suggestive and suspicious.

_"Kuhh... huhh"_

Tendons in the hunter's neck strained as he coughed in his sleep, the small trickle of blood grew for a second before stopping again. His brows knit and an uncomfortable expression contorted his face.

"Hmm..."

Checking to see if he was still unconscious, the pureblood wiped his thumb along Zero's chin, collecting crimson to bring to his lips. Curiosity, necessity, experimentation, repayment, they could all pass as excuses couldn't they?

For the umpteenth time Kaname wished he had the courage to just be himself and not have to think through every action or how they would effect his race. Keeping up his poker face was a tiring task.

As strange as it sounded, he envied the fact that Kiryuu was brave enough to do whatever, the hell he liked without scrutiny. He wanted to be able to freely express himself in any manner of his choosing like Zero could. Sure, his range of emotions weren't normally displayed - anger was normally the heart on his sleeve, but people could still see through his mask. Kaname was the supposed to be the "spoiled" pure blooded child, so why did he want what an ex-human had?

_"Kohh!"_

He glared at the teen, greedily stuffing the blood covered finger into his mouth, relishing in its sweetly spicy kick. He didn't care if the action made him seem like a petulant child, no one was around to watch. Zero let out a pitiful whimper in his sleep, softening up the pureblood. With a sigh he brushed back silver bangs from the hunter's pallid face and felt his forehead.

It was burning!

Kaname became a bit unnerved. He had studied up on sicknesses and other ailments, both human and vampire, during his free time all his life. This, however, was the first time he had encountered anything like what he had read about. Studying and practice were two different things.

First thing was first, keep the individual from being overdressed.

...

Again, he would have to take the clothes off of this boy. The pureblood was beginning to think that Zero's body was doing this on purpose.

_"Who gave me the alcohol?"_

Kaname frowned at the memory, the ever present guilt in his core throbbing again. He unbuttoned the hunter's jacket, waist coat and shirt (tie too), pulling them off with some difficulty. Too much movement could make him puke everywhere, and that was the last thing either of them needed. The clothes weren't damp, meaning that the fever would hold out. With a sigh he turned Zero onto his stomach with he head at the side, in case he did happen to throw up while Kaname was gone.

Passing the couch, he deposited the garments over the cushions, taking care to fold them neatly, suppressing the desire to shove his nose into the white shirt. He was unable to keep himself from whiffing the scent from his hands. If there was any scent of sweat he would be able to tell when the hunter would sober up. That's what he told himself, never mind that he had just drank his blood for the second time. Nobody else knew about it but himself, Kaname's little secret.

Now, hydration and tepid water to keep the temperature down. His room had to be the farthest from everything good...

"No one is to enter my room under any circumstances while I'm away." Kaname announced in a normal speaking voice. The others would hear.

He descended the stairs as Aidou poked his head out like a frightened rabbit, looking left and right for the dorm leader. The blond sneaked out into the hallway, pausing before the very door he was just instructed to steer clear of.

"Peter rabbit would be wise to stay out of McGreggor-san's garden." Kain chided.

"Peter? I thought I was Thumper-chan." Aidou smirked. Kain avoided the questioning stares of other curious vampires. "Besides, he said not to go in, nothing about not peeking. As long as I don't go in, I won't be disobeying anything."

_"Hahh...."_

Aidou looked through the slim crack in the door at Zero, who rolled over in that moment, sighing and flushing red all over his chest, neck and cheeks. The blond's heart gave a jolt in surprise as he ran back to his room, motioning for everyone to do the same.

Kaname gave a quiet chuckle from his hiding spot at the bottom of the stairs. That would teach the others to not pry into his personal affairs. With a bottle of vodka, he grabbed a small bowl and a goblet from the kitchen, filling them both with water so he could tend to the sickened hunter. The doors were all ajar when he came back upstairs, probably to shake off suspicion.

Hopefully Zero would snap out of his fever soon, so the investigation could continue of course. Luckily, feeding the hunter would break his fever.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

_Someone was singing._

**_Tra, tra,  
sa sui la  
sogni  
da  
prima  
ma sui la  
aloni_**

_And it was damn annoying.  
_

**_Mia, mia  
cuore è morto  
affini  
aborto  
me stesto  
allargato  
pensieri  
annientato_**

_A little girl with pale skin and dark hair gazed down at Zero, who was lying on his back. He coughed and turned over, wishing she would go away. He was in the middle of trying to find a way to wake up so he could kick the pureblood's ass._

_"You look like him." she smiled._

_"Not now kid."_

_Normally he would have asked the child questions to try and take them back to where they belonged, but he realized that this was a dream, and therefore didn't care._

_"The mister in oneesama's head, you look just like him."_

_Zero turned to look at the girl, she was wearing a snow white dress that the rich children were normally clothed in. His heart stopped when he saw her eyes - they were the exact same chocolate Yuuki's had been._

_"Who are you?!" he yelled. It couldn't have been her child, so then was it her? Ridiculous. Yuuki hadn't died as a child._

_"Oh, now you're interested?" her smile remained innocent. "Your smell reminds me of oniisama. It's not the same, but you're like him."_

_"Answer me." Zero placed a gentle hand on the child's shoulder to coax her into telling._

_"Don't worry about me. Stay alive oniisan." The child pecked him on the cheek. "Play nice with oniisama, don't do ero things." she giggled, showing him his memory of the sun dorm._

_She poked and prodded through the rest of his recollections on her way out of his mind, brushing past different scenes here and there. Zero rose to follow her, reliving each memory for the briefest moment as he came in contact with them._

"Is it alright if I touch you?"_  
_

_Meeting Yuuki._

"May I wipe your neck?"_  
_"You are okay, because I'll be holding you like this from now on."

**_"You are okay."_**

_Being cared for by her._

**"VAMPIRE!"**_  
_

_Meeting Kaname._

"You smell just like that woman!"_  
_

_The fear.  
The anger._

"I have no intention of getting killed by you."  
"It's nothing, it'll heal soon."_  
_

_The envy._

"Don't you dare touch me with your hand that touched him!"_  
_

_Jealousy.  
_

_The girl disappeared from his sight. She had the advantage in his own mind! Where she could pick and choose which memories to see, they melted into his subconscious at a touch.  
_

_"OI!"_

""Hey" is for horses." Kaname stated as he wiped Zero's forehead with a wet cloth. "And I think you've had enough of them, personally." he traced a finger along the hunter's bare abdomen where he had been kicked. The skin quivered, as did the fingers stroking it.

"Whatever." he was still sort of pissed with the haughty vampire. Why the hell was he taking care of a mortal enemy? Did he feel bad about the liquor thing? "I what?" Zero wasn't going to let go of what was said earlier. He had answered all of his questions, now it was Kaname's turn. Shifting to sit up, a large hand came down over his chest, coaxing him back down onto the soft duvet of the pureblood's four poster. It lingered there for a second, warm against the thin sheen of sweat coating his muscles.

"Careful, you've made yourself sick with all that stress..."

The statement trailed off with guilt throbbing in Zero's heart.

"I'm going to retrieve the disc with the security footage, we can review it when you're better." his eyes softened."Hey..."

"You're not talking to a horse..." the hunter pouted. Kaname gave a small smile at the good humor.

"I'm sorry I got you drunk... I thought it might help you with coping..."

The pureblood turned away for a moment to conceal his face. Was he... embarrassed?

"Er, thanks, I guess?" Zero mumbled awkwardly. "But I'm fine now, let's get the recording."

A hand landed on either side of the hunter's head, both clutching the pillow until tight creases were made. He could see the lucid shine in Kuran's eyes from the candlelight. Kaname had downed more liquor, evidence was on his breath.

Zero's nose wrinkled from the strong scent that was mingled with the tablets. The pureblood inched closer, dark hair falling around them, blocking out most of the candlelight. He gently touched his clammy forehead against the hunter's, moving forward slightly from the jolt their hearts gave. They stared into each others' eyes for a long moment, rust burning into lilac, lashes so close that they lightly brushed together.

"Your fever's gone down..." he muttered softly. "Good color..."

He brought a hand up to stroke back silver tresses, the touch making his cheeks burn.

"Very good color... however," he smiled "I think your temp is climbing again. No work for you."

The last part was spoken like an adult to a child, but Zero didn't mind. It felt so good that he didn't resist the actions. He was so...... content. Something he hadn't felt in what seemed like forever. His heartbeat was strong, so much so that it shook them. He looked up into Kaname's glazed eyes and frowned.

"Hey," his voice was rough and timid at once. "You shouldn't drink so much." he grabbed the fingers still curling around his cheek, lifting the hand off. He noticed the deep red marking again, more prominent than last time. The poor pureblood had lost his mind. Relief loosened the relentless guilt. In that moment Zero decided to ignore his haywire feelings.

"Kaname-kun!" a voice called from down the hall.

Kaname kept their foreheads pressed together for a moment longer before getting up. The hunter's skin was burning again. It had to be the fever. He was getting sick, and Kuran was being a kind sempai by looking after his kohai. That explained all of the freaky behavior as of late. Zero accepted the relief this time, even as it clashed with surmounting stress.

"It's open, Chairman Cross." Kaname responded as he stood by the window.

"I found something of interest." he blurted the moment he came through the door.

"Interest?"

"In the Academy infirmary." Kaien gave the pureblood a very meaningful look, which somewhat bothered Zero.

Kaname reacted to this news, crossing the room in three long strides.

"Let's go." he said at once, a little too eagerly. Zero shot them a questioning glance.

"I'm coming too."

"You aren't fully recovered, rest."

"That doesn't matter."

"You'll just be a hindrance if you aren't at your best."

"I said I'm going!"

**"How did it get in here?! Kill it!!"**

Glass broke in the next room over. The lights flickered on and off as Zero and Kaien clutched their heads.

"Ruka, Rima." Kaname acknowledged urgently, running next door. "What the hell?" his voice came a second later. The hunter rose to join the scene, a look of disbelief upon his face at what he saw.

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

**A/N:**(I forgot the last bit, though it's a weak ending. XD)

Peter Rabbit and Thumper: The first is a warning about being where you don't belong, the second is an innuendo. ^^

Poem: They're speaking English in this part, and since this fic is in English I changed it to Italian. Something foreign. Plus it sounded nice and I made it rhyme, which was difficult. I wrote the first part in Italian originally, starting with "Sui la", I popped it onto Google Translate (a random dice throw about choosing the language) and went from there making things rhyme. It came out better than expected. Why not reverse translate with Japanese? GT doesn't do romanji, so it would be 50x harder to convey the same thing and have it rhyme.

Translation:

between, between,  
known about the  
dreams  
from  
before  
but on the  
halos

my, my  
heart is dead  
related  
Abortion  
you were me  
Broader  
thoughts  
destroyed

"Is it alright if I touch you?" - Actual scenes from VK. The way they're said can be misunderstood. ^^

"Hey is for horses" - "Oi" means hey, hence my stupid pun. XD

I have weird onomatopoeia, I know.

There is a reason Zero didn't push Kaname on his ass during the fluff.  
The little girl is and isn't who you think she is.

This chapter came out differently than I originally had planned, which is fine because the plot has stabilized. Finally.

How did you like the peek into Kaname's mind?

Questions? Reviews? Concerns?

* * *


	5. Chapter Five: Unexpected

**A/N:** My longest chapter yet. ^^ My next chapter will be an important author's note and side story. So you have a rough idea of when in the story this is taking place, it is after Shizuka is killed, but before the council appears and Yuuki is awakened. More on that in the next chapter.

**Part of A/N for STS Ch.6 - **(Important)**  
**

For those of you who've been wondering, this story takes place around.... chapter.... 26/27. Enough time for it to be revealed that Kaien was a vampire hunter, enough time for Yuuki to start seriously trying to remember her past, but before everyone goes on winter break. I was skimming chapters and realize that I had my time line sort of screwed up, since they head off in chapter 26 and Yuuki doesn't really get her first hallucination from trying until 27. Some things have changed for my convenience, so hold off on the flames for incorrect info please. DX

More on that during the intermission in Ch.6

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

_Yori sat on an elegant throne carved of ivory. She could feel the cries from the souls who had lost their fangs in order to build the chair. No doubt__ **he** was the one who ordered it to be built. The reason for which surprised, almost as much as it convenienced her._

_"Does it please you, my love?" a deep masculine voice came from behind her._

_"More than you know." she giggled._

_"You will become mine." the man's hand stroked her hair gently from root to tip, palm sliding along the length of her arm at the same time. He brought the strands to his nose to inhale its scent._

_"No, **you** will become **mine**." Yori's smile turned into a dangerous grin as the scene went white, the only detail coming through was the flavor and heat of sweet bliss that eased the burning of her core.  
_

_"You can feel me, can't you?" she asked herself. "You won't be able to hold out."_

"Yori, wake up! You're having a nightmare." Ichiru's voice cut through the dream, waking the poor flailing girl.

She sat up, shivering as she focused on the dark violet eyes that saw right through her. Feeling sick, she rushed to the restroom and turned on the faucet full blast. Fingers fumbling, she pressed against the lavender soap dispenser like an addict searching for a fix. She worked up an elaborate lather that stung the cuts in her hand. There was blood everywhere, she had to get rid of it. No matter how much she scrubbed, the feeling, the texture would not leave the senses in her fingers. The slick and sticky liquid would cling to her hands,and much to her dismay, they didn't make water hot enough to make her clean.

Ichiru rushed into the girls' bathroom, determined to keep Yori from removing her skin.

"Relax!" he yelled, pulling her soap-free hands from under the near boiling stream.

"No! I can't! They're still soiled!" she screamed back at him, weakly trying to shove him off.

"Why you?!" Ichiru growled. "Why does it have to be you?!" he cradled her red palms against his face.

Life was much too cruel to him. He knew he would soon get his wish if he could succeed with his current assignment, but impatience was getting the better of him.

"I don't want to be this way." Yori sobbed quietly.

She was being selfish, it made Ichiru want to shake some sense into her, but he refrained. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her cut hand between his cheek and shoulder as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"Trust me. If I could I would gladly take it away from you and keep it to myself. It would never bother you again." he sighed wistfully.

Yori wondered what was so great about his desire, but felt for him anyways, as she knew how it was to see someone else be granted what you want most.

"I believe you." she placed her free hand on his shoulder. They stood in the same position for a while, letting the heat from the faucet water fog up the mirrors until it ran cold.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

Zero didn't know what to make of the situation. On one hand, Ruka and Rima were vampires of a noble class, level B's, and should have been able to handle the problem. On the other, he supposed they _were_ girls, and suddenly seeing a gigantic rat with wings pop up out of nowhere would be a surprise that would merit some amount of panic. He couldn't believe how typically human they were acting, irritation thoroughly setting in.

"Leave it! Out of the room." Kaien instructed to them.

"A bat, seriously?" Zero asked in a flat tone, cocking his mouth to the side. Ruka glared at him from across the hall.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you didn't know how the heck it got in. We didn't open windows or anything."

The hunter rolled his eyes as Kaname captured the flying creature, crushing it in his palm. His eyes lit up as it burst, turning into blood that dripped all over his hand and onto the carpet. He frowned at the mess before turning to exit the room.

"How uncool." Rima muttered in her nightdress, taking a stick of pocky from Shiki's box. They both wore the same bored expression again, it creeped Zero out.

"My apologies for the mess in your room ladies," Kaname looked to both of the girls in turn. "You're more than welcome to accommodate yourselves in my room until it's clean."

It was easy to understand why the pureblood would make that offer. A strange scent emanated from the blood, a faint whiff of the amber and sandalwood, but it was tinged with an unpleasant rotting reminiscent to a decaying forest. It smelled stale. Zero forced himself to concentrate on something else to keep from dropping to his knees again.

As if just now realizing what he said, Ruka's eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you Kaname-sama." she said breathlessly, cheeks reddening.

"Of course, there's only one bed, but it's large enough for two if you don't mind sharing." he managed with a small smile.

Her face turned scarlet then. The rest of the night class kept uncomfortably still, save for Kaname, who disappeared into his room. He dipped his hand into the bowl of water, wiping away all of the blood on his right hand with the damp cloth he had been using on Zero earlier, turning it and the water a cloudy scarlet. Collecting it and the perspiring glass goblet of water in one hand, he carried them out into the hall, where everyone continued to gape at him but Kaien, who was casually trying to get information out of Rima, and Zero, who looked at him questioningly with a raised eyebrow. The faint flush on the pureblood's cheeks only added to the misconception, but only the hunter seemed to know that it was from drinking, not embarrassment.

"Yes?" Kaname asked, mirroring his expression. "Get your things, we'll be moving down into the sitting room." he flicked Zero's nose with a finger as he walked past, heading for the kitchen.

Everyone sobered instantly, save for Zero, who still was drunk. He rubbed at his nose, the scent of the pureblood's skin lingering, dulling the smell of stale blood. The thought made him relax considerably.

Ruka's scarlet turned puce as she moved to gather a few of her articles from her room and escaped into Kaname's. Aidou watched the pureblood's retreating back, eying the sweaty glass in his hands before glancing over to the hunter, who followed after Ruka to get his clothes. His complexion was normal and the small scrape on his cheek had healed without a trace. The blond narrowed his eyes in thought as he skimmed an icy thumb along his own cheek, where his earlier punishment was still healing. Kain snapped his fingers next to the blond, fire appearing on the end of his own thumb.

"Oi, don't do that so close to me." Aidou warned, giving the flame a reproachful look.

"Sorry." the pyro muttered as he extinguished it. "When's dinner?" he yawned, running his fingers through his hair.

"Good question, Chairman?"

"The maids should be midway through cooking right now." he capped his pen, folded the piece of paper that he had been taking notes on and slipped them into his pocket.

Zero reappeared in that second, dressed but leaving the front of his uniform undone. He passed through the throng of vampires to go downstairs.

"Ah, Zero-kun. I've been meaning to ask, do you have my notepad? I've been running out of post its."

"Un," he paused, digging through his pockets, rattling the tin of blood tablets before fishing out the small square of papers to toss to Kaien.

"Say, Kiryuu,"

The hunter turned to regard Aidou with surprise, waiting.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" he asked hesitantly.

Conversations stopped and heads turned to stare at him, most expressions in disbelief.

"Oh! That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Ichijou lit up, always friendly.

Zero's gaze turned suspicious, flitting over Takuma for a fraction of a second before lingering on Aidou's uncomfortable stance. His eyes narrowed, less trusting of the icy aristocrat than the nonchalant one.

"Not hungry, thanks." he muttered before descending the staircase.

"What are you up to?" Kain asked, his interest peaking.

"That wasn't an excuse." Aidou trailed off under his breath.

"Why does that matter? We should probably be practicing for *Uzumaki Drop."

"You guys have already practiced enough! This time Tsukiko-chan and I are going to win the pair tournament." Ichijou wagered.

Zero had to get out of there as soon as he could. The last thing he wanted to do was become used to living with vampires. Once the killer was found, he would go out into town to try to find a loft to live in when he finally let himself go through the grieving process. He honestly couldn't picture going back to school, since the incident would make him weary of the academy for the rest of his life, but living as a hunter didn't require as much schooling as it did common sense, guts, and physical aptitude, all of which he had, not to mention intelligence. He would be just fine if he didn't attend his last two years of school.

Continuing on as a hunter... Zero wondered if he would ever cross paths with Kaname after he went to live on his own. What would he do once this was all over? He was concerned about the pureblood's sanity, remembering the cuts on his wrists. That and taking care of him, he guessed that's what it was, would probably wear him down soon. Kaname was a man, not a machine. Maybe Zero would return the favor and look after him for a while. Just to repay him for... caring. The thought sent an awkward, yet pleasant flutter through his chest.

Upon reaching the bottom of the landing, Zero spotted Kaname stretched out on one of the couches. He lay on his back, right wrist across his eyes, left dangling straight off of the furniture. His lips were parted, jaw slack. Sleeping perhaps? The pale flesh of his neck was a exposed, and unprotected. The hunter wet his lips as his eyes glided over the pureblood's form. The front of his uniform was undone like Zero's, hanging open to show off a little skin, a soft pink nipple peeking out from behind the low lapel. He studied how Kaname's abdomen dipped with each soft breath, built, but not as much as his own, no happy trailing below his navel. His pants were low past his hips, showing off the sharp angle of his hip bones and the cuts in his pelvis. The pureblood's long legs were bent at against the armrest, one practically falling off. He looked like a model in an alluring pose...

Zero felt smug for some reason.

"Idiot apprentice,"

"Hai!" he jumped in spite of himself when Touga clapped a hand on his shoulder. The older man gave him a searching look before steering them into a large game room where Kaien was waiting, looking out into the lightening distance through lattice windows. With a sigh Touga returned to a chair off to the side where his rifle sat disassembled. Several cloths, some cleaning solution and a Walther P twenty-two littered the low coffee table. He never had allowed himself to be put in a uncompromisable situation since he lost his eye...

"You wanted to see me, Chairman?"

"Yes," he turned, reaching for a piece of parchment with a wax seal in his coat pocket. "You have orders."

Zero's eyes thinned.

"Why can't sensei do it? I'm in the middle of a crisis and-"

"Enough." Yagari growled, although it didn't have much bite to it. "I'm actually stationed here, you just happen to attend the academy. They're going to send you on a mission regardless what's happening in your life unless you're dead or physically unable."

He didn't put up a fight, knowing that sensei was right. Grudgingly he palmed the parchment and peeled the paper back from the seal. A photo of a young girl with blond hair stared up at him expectantly, showing off her new lip piercing, a single ring in the bottom right-hand corner of her mouth, left from Zero's perspective. He didn't note her eye color, as they would be glowing red by the time he got there. Next to the picture was a short column of information, her name, location, and any other information that might have led to her extermination.

"Simple enough."

"When you two get back, we'll visit the infirmary."

"'You two?'" he quirked a brow.

"Yes, us two." Kaname said from the doorway, arms raised so his elbows could rest against the frame as he leaned in. His front was still undone, teasing the hunter's senses.

He looked tired, and since Zero had been preoccupying his bed for the over two thirds of the last thirty-six hours, he probably hadn't gotten any sleep. That coupled with the stress from Yuuki's death, the thirst for justice, and Ruka and Rima staying temporarily in his bedchamber, would mean that he wasn't going rest for a while. He tried to contemplate that as his stare fixated on the curve of Kaname's narrow hips.

"He won't mind." the pureblood smirked, catching him in the middle of ogling.

Zero stalked towards him with a frown.

"Move."

"It's because I am thinking about how you feel." Kaien chided gently. "If you were to have an attack or another fainting episode from stress-"

"MOVE." Zero snarled through clenched teeth. "Kuran will stress more than help, thanks."

Kaname held his ground, not trying to hide the way his hungry eyes skimmed the hunter's abs and chest, resting on his mouth, which Zero licked self-consciously.

_"You missed a spot."_

The whisper was so low he had to strain to catch what the pureblood said.

"But I could help you," he continued in a normal tone before moving aside to let Zero pass.

The hunter's eyes went wide as his brows furrowed, staring at Kaname like he had lost his mind. He fought the urge to turn and see if the other adults took notice of what was transpiring, afraid that doing so would call attention to it if it hadn't. Kaname, in return, gauged his reaction to the teasing, trying to keep from laughing hysterically at the priceless look on Kiryuu's face.

"You were eager to go with him earlier. Make up your mind, pain in the ass."

Leaving the room, Zero could hear the clicking of metal into place as Yagari reassembled his shotgun, also the silence that represented the Chairman's agreement with the statement. Maybe not the last part, not from him, but the hunter was tired of being a burden, on Yagari sensei, on the Hunter's Association, on the Chairman himself, on... Yuuki when she was alive, and now on Kaname.

The pureblood and his perfect facades, not quite letting others know what he was feeling, Zero wished he could control his emotions and thoughts like that. Would sensei not have lost his eye if he could control his impulse to defend someone he thought was innocent, but knew was bad? Would Ichiru have sided with Shizuka if he could better hide his thrill from progress as an apprentice hunter? Maybe, if he had, then Ichiru wouldn't have thought of himself as a weakling and resorted to taking comfort in that _bitch_.

Zero exited onto the lawn, not wanting to commit to any more formalities, and jumped the fence. He heard the soft crunch of grass behind him as Kaname followed. He made no attempt to acknowledge his presence as he continued with his thoughts.

Maybe, if he could control his desire to feed, Yuuki wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself again and again to him, whittling down her health until she couldn't even run away from an attacker.

But if none of that ever happened, he might not have as close of a relationship with Yagari sensei as he now had. Ichiru might have died if he hadn't felt so inferior to do something about it, becoming that pureblood's pet as she healed him. He might not have ever met Yuuki. He wouldn't have had any of those relationships if he had kept a mask over his emotions...

No, no! What the hell was he thinking? People were so annoyed by him, pitied him so that they lost something precious! His parent's lives, Yuuki's, sensei's depth perception? He'd even hurt Kaien, his foster father with Yuuki's death. Did he have any other way of forming bonds with people other than causing tragedies to befall them both? Was he such a pitiful wretch that he had to take from others in order to hold them close? He was better off sealing his emotions away forever beneath a glass mask, letting them hurt him so he could allow those he treasured to live in peace.

There, in the center of his drowning despair, was a tender feeling upon the edges of his sadness. The feeling was very similar to one he refused to put a name to, as he had no idea how to recognize it. It's soft warmth caressed his heart as a heavy hand placed its comfortable weight on his shoulder. This was perhaps the one time in which, when he wanted to purposefully reveal his emotions in a rebuff to the pureblood, the glass mask he so sought had slipped into place. He would blame it on that, and the haywire feelings that told him that there was no desire to pull away from the comfort.

How could a single hand and a simple gesture hold so much significance?

Zero didn't even realize that he had jumped the last gate that separated the academy grounds and the outside world. It reminded him that when he would approach town within the hour, it would be much more alive and unaffected by the passing of one small girl, who's existence was all but. The way the other vampires at the dorms acted would be nothing compared to that. The world stopped for no one, he realized with chagrin, and it would continue to go on with or without her. He hadn't contemplated that far until just then.

It was like that final string of hope, that last shred of reason had been obliterated.

He wasn't the only one to feel that way.

_"ღ*~+~*ღ"_

The trip to town was laden with a thick silence between hunter and vampire. Though Zero was well rested, he still felt a shadow of sleeplessness in the back of his mind. Kaname kept on with a far away shadow in his eyes, like he was concentrating on something that wasn't there. He most likely was, the hunter deduced, probably searching for the target so they could return to the academy.

"I'm going to go for a coffee." Kaname muttered as they entered town. Zero shrugged, only to let the pureblood know that he heard him, not in much of a talking mood.

Kaname disappeared into a familiar little cafe that Yuuki had once dragged him to long ago. Zero silently resolved to avoid that place like the plague as he rushed past, tendrils of sadness coiling around his heart. He had a mission to focus on rather than the threatening anxiety attack.

The streets were crowded for an early weekend morning. There was an underlying note of tension in the melodious cacophony of shoppers and families, though no one seemed to notice. They were blissfully unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows, and instead of envying their oblivious lack of knowledge, Zero pitied them.

As he wandered deeper into the town, it began to open up, widening into separate districts. The hunter wondered briefly if he should check the housing district or the abandoned properties first. He distinctly remembered that the Aidou clan owned one of the abandoned buildings. The memory of the last soiree he had to monitor sent a shiver up his spine. He had to watch Kaname make nice to the girls to please their parents, from Aidou's sister to that pureblood female with her self-satisfied ways...

A drop of jealousy tainted the already dark memory.

"See you tomorrow!" a girl called as she ran out of a nearby store, the ringing bell from the shop masked her hurrying footsteps.

"Waah!"

Something solid collided with the hunter, sending him and the thing crashing to the ground. Zero rubbed his ear, deafened by the shout. He was disoriented for a moment, dizzily trying to sit up, gripping whatever he could to support himself.

"IIYA! Hentai!"

"Will you stop screaming!!!" he yelled at the girl, letting go of her butt, which he accidentally grabbed.

The people that dotted the streets had all stopped to stare and exchange whispers. Zero moved her off of him and stood, twisting left then right to crack his back before extending a hand downward to help her up. She scrambled to pick up her pods of makeup that had rolled all over the cobblestones, ignoring the offer. Why were women so damn difficult? She ran into him, but was the one huffing with irritation like the situation had been the opposite. With a heavy sigh he bent down to help her collect her things.

"Are you alright?" he asked, staring into the back of her blond head.

"I guess, but you're gonna have to-" she stopped in mid sentence when she turned to look at him. Her mouth fell open as she examined the hunter, surprise becoming a smirk. "Walk me home." she finished, tonguing her lip piercing.

Something was off about the girl. Zero was sure that she was the one that the Hunter's Association had assigned him to hunt, but she didn't give off any sort of aura. He plastered on a small smile that he hoped didn't look fake, and decided to take a shot in the dark.

"Do you have a twin?"

Being a twin himself, it wasn't as crazy of a thing to ask.

The girl's smirk widened as she checked him out again, eyes lingering on his tattoo.

"Oooh, so you're like that huh?" she lifted her brows suggestively. "Sorry sweetie, I don't, but I'm all you need, I assure you."

She tugged on his wrist, pulling him along with her to the abandoned district. That answered his question as to where he would check first. Though now that he was with the girl he was supposed to hunt, and saw that she was seemingly unaffected, he was hesitant about fulfilling his duty. Then again, making sure she was human would be an easy task. Bloody Rose didn't harm humans. If he put the barrel to her head and pulled the trigger, either nothing would happen, or he would complete his mission.

With his free hand, Zero silently reached into his jacket for the gun, ignoring the girl's annoying tittering questions about whether he came around often or not. He brought it up and pulled the trigger, the noise of the shot echoing loudly in the empty district. The blond flinched and froze, slowly turning to look at him, fear evident in her wide green eyes.

So she was human, eh?

"I thought someone was following us." he muttered in apology. The girl said nothing, smirk returning as she eyed his weapon.

"Oh no, you're perfect." she amended, turning to drag him deeper into the solitude.

Zero held his ground, not moving an inch when she tried to tug on his wrist. He pulled away, uncomfortable with her icy touch.

"Look, it's dangerous around here, I'll take you home where you belong."

"This is where I belong." she muttered. "Are you trying to say you aren't interested in me?!"

The question caught him off guard for a moment as he took a second to look at her. Big breasts, wide hips, a thin waist, curvy in all the right places and so not his type. The thought of Yuuki brought relief to his mind, though he wanted more height.

"I'm not interested in anyone." he replied, not trying to hurt her feelings. An unbidden image of Kaname sprawled along the sofa came to mind, tinging his cheeks pink.

"I see..." her voice shook, making Zero feel downright awkward.

A silver glint caught his attention. He instinctively backed away as the girl pulled a knife from inside of her shopping bag, throwing the latter aside. She didn't rush to him, however, remaining in her spot in the center of the desolate street. With a quick slash her wrist opened, blood spurting every which way.

This girl was fucking psycho!

"Interested in me now, vampire?!?!"

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

"Coffee, black please."

"Is that all for you?"

"Un."

"Right away." The laconic response didn't deter the brunette waitress. She giggled and walked off, leaving Kaname at his table by himself.

Perhaps the bitter taste would help to sober him up. He tried to tune out her out as she told her friend about him, but was unsuccessful.

"And he just gives off this air of importance, he is beautiful!"

"You don't say..."

He could feel the barista's eyes on him for a fraction of a moment. The two said nothing more for a few minutes until the drink was delivered to Kaname, who handed her a bill that paid for his drink five times over.

"Keep the change." he mustered a polite smile before waving her off. He drained the wide cup, the scalding liquid burning some sense back into him.

Kaname stared out of the window, wondering if he should look for Kiryuu. Last night he couldn't even smell blood without having an anxiety attack. He wasn't sure if the hunter could carry out his duties, as resilience wasn't his most prominent trait at the moment.

With a sigh he brought his fingers up to rub a temple, trying to fend off the migraine growing behind it. Worrying would do no good, if Zero needed help, he would know. Then he could say that the burden was for the better. He wanted to end the constant guilt gnawing away at his insides.

When the time came, would Kaname be able to tell the hunter the truth? Would he reveal the reality of the situation, or cloak him in the continuity of sweet lies? He didn't want to destroy the mind of someone so fragile...

The Chairman said that he found something interesting in the infirmary, which hadn't been touched since the other night. It was something he would worry about later. There couldn't have been anything interesting in that room to escape his notice. After carrying Zero to his room, he had come back once more with Kaien to find that Yuuki's body wasn't there, which wasn't that big of a deal, since vampires burst into shards upon death. Even if she hadn't been Awakened, no body, nobody could be blamed from lack of adequate proof in that room, which would be the main focus for clues in the investigation. He had to admit that it was perfect...

A bolt of shock shot through his heart in that instant.

Something had caught Zero off guard.

Kaname left the cafe without hesitation.

"Strange. Cute, but strange." the waitress said dreamily to the barista as she stared after the pureblood's retreating form.

"Indeed." she agreed with a grin.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Zero's head snapped up, he was surrounded on all sides from above. Left and right along the rooftops, figures appeared at their edges. They were in shadow, mere silhouettes against the azure sky.

"Looks like he was wrong about Kaname-sama. We all came for nothing..." one woman hissed.

Vampires.

This time, they were real. He could sense that none of them were ex-humans, so they weren't on the extermination list.

"I told you that the girl would be useless, we should have just gone with plan A." she continued.

A hesitant murmur of agreements and differing opinions erupted. They were too far away from the main shopping district to he heard. The sound of Zero's shot didn't even send anyone running. He couldn't legally shoot them without starting a war, they both knew that. If he weren't a part of the Hunter's Association that wouldn't matter, but the fact that he was made him bound by the laws between them. He was trapped.

On a single archway between buildings, a lone shadow stood, partially eclipsing the morning sun. All conversation ceased as his booming voice echoed throughout the district in a condescending manner.

_**"Kiryuu, Zero, you have neglected to make an appearance before the Council of Elders, therefore, your trial shall be held here."**_

Shit, shitshitshitshitshit! He was not in a good situation. If he tried to escape he would be torn down by their powers, or worse, their fangs. His grip on Bloody Rose tightened, fingers practically melding into the steel. The only way he could get out of this alive would be if he were to kill all of them, leaving no witnesses, no evidence. Not one of them could escape or else the entire vampire race would be after him. His gun couldn't hold enough bullets to down many.

**_"You have been accused of committing the most heinous crime in vampire society - murdering a pure blooded vampire. The pureblood in question is Hio, Shuzuka-sama."_**

Zero's thoughts were racing. An Aidou property was nearby, and if he could escape their sight for a fraction of a second, he could split them up into more manageable numbers. But then he had to worry about the girl. She was a human, but taking her with him would only slow him down, not to mention that it was most likely she was working with them. Let her find her own way out. Then again, he could use her. If one of the vampires attacked her, he would have his reason to shoot.

**_"The punishment for the crime, is death. However, a pureblood came to your defense, Kuran, Kaname-sama."_**

The vampires on the sidelines stilled in disapproval. The hunter's brows shot up in surprise at the last bit of information. Kuran had opposed the entire council for his sake? A giddy little flutter brushed against his insides, but doing nothing for the knot of anticipation in his chest.

**_"Kuran Kaname-sama requested that your life be placed under his jurisdiction, to which the Council of Elders have made a unanimous decision. Today, we have assembled to deliver that decision of your fate:"_**

Their eyes lit up in neon crimson.

**_"EXECUTION!"_**

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

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**A/N:**

_(Fun Note)_**  
**

***Uzumaki Drop** - A game played by noble vampires that is very similar to chess, only a bit more ambiguous when it comes to taking different pieces. It's played on a 64 sq. ft. marble chess board (1 sq. ft. for every square) in the Moon Dorms. Instead of traditional chess pieces, the aristocrats use their special powers to create their own pieces that actually look like members of the night class, even Yuuki (upon Kaname's request) and Zero, which they do because they can't stand him.

When the pieces move, they actually walk across the board to their places or to confront one another and fight to occupy the space. (Drop) The outcome is decided from the elemental face off and whoever the pieces might represent.

Kaname isn't allowed to play because he pwned everyone so badly at one point nobody wanted to go against him again, but he likes to spectate. He sits off to the side of the board as a judge.

Some people like Ichijou (wind [in this fic]) and Rima (electricity) can't create pieces on their own, so they rely on team battles to mix their powers with an alley's (swirl them together, Uzumaki) who can form physical figures with their powers, i.e. Tsukiko (water [in this fic]) Shiki (blood control) to be able to participate and create stronger, more accurate looking figures and more fluid movements.

People like Tsukiko, Shiki and Kain can play single rounds since they can manifest physical game pieces.

Aidou, since he has a stiff ice element, can play singles. He can't do it well, so he prefers to team up with Kain who can make his pieces move smoothly and shape them.

People like Ruka and Sieren can't play, since their powers involve mind control and physical strength. They watch.

If anyone is interested, I might write a fic on Uzumaki Drop. ^^

**About the opening scene -**

Um, yeah, Ichiru (and Yori) gets a little on the melodramatic side. XD You would too if you understood the situation. I was rolling my eyes as I wrote half the scene. It's cliche, but there's different reasoning. I hope you didn't think it was too corny. XDD

**Reviews:** I would love you forever.

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	6. Intermission And Side Story: Thumper

_**Important Author's Note**_

Hey everyone! Kagamichihime here, I thought I should let you guys in on a few things about STS that should help your understanding of the story. They're actually pretty important, so you might want to read through (most) everything.

**I've written a bonus side story for you all at the bottom** as to how Aidou got the nickname "Thumper" from Kain. If you want to skip all of the info about STS, then you can jump down to the side story.

(Woah, de ja vu...)

It takes place before STS, and is rated M. ;D It's also less formal than STS, a little more OOC with a few interweb slang terms, like "butthurt". ^^ Have fun with it.

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**Opening Personal Note: **(Feel free to ignore)

This Saturday and Sunday I'll be going to Atlanta Georgia for an anime convention with my brother. I'll get to see Vic Mignogna!! (Voice of Fai Flowright from Tsubasa, Dark Mousy from DNAngel, and _Edward Elric_ from Fullmetal Alchemist) *happy dance because she lubbs him*

**Purist:**

I'm actually have purist views when it comes to writing fanfiction. I prefer to not bring in any sort of OC at all, but I do it anyways because I love too many of the actual characters to kill them, plus it's hard to find a character who's death and or disappearance would impact the fic the way you want. It's not that I dislike fics with OC's, it's just that it's hard to come across something good when an OC is dominating most of the story.

**Twitter:**

It's not as bad as I thought it would be. The site is very simplistic and there's a lack of bullshit on there. it's just like little alerts telling you who's doing what in 140 characters or less. It's pretty convenient and I actually tweet quite a bit. (I just signed up yesterday) ^^ It's usually about updates I'm making to my fanfics, what I'm working on at the moment, and what I may be doing art wise. My twitter feed is the same as my pen name, except all lowercase, kagamichihime.

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**_STS Talk_**

**A note on the time line:**

For those of you who've been wondering, this story takes place around.... chapter.... 26/27. Enough time for it to be revealed that Kaien was a vampire hunter, enough time for Yuuki to start seriously trying to remember her past, but before everyone goes on winter break. I was skimming chapters and realize that I had my time line sort of screwed up, since they head off in chapter 26 and Yuuki doesn't really get her first hallucination from trying until 27.

Please forgive my clumsy rearrangement. DX I thought they left for holiday after Yuuki started seeing things, so I had the time line set that way. However, the two incidents are very close together, and seeing as **MOST OF** the rest of the series wouldn't be cannon to STS after I killed off the protagonist, rearranging the vacation (_which won't be taken since the school is on lock down_) to occur only a few days later is a very important move to maintain the plot of the story. There are quite a few things that are set into motion because of the trip they take which would not line up well with what I have in store for this fic, because I need some people alive and.... unposessed. DX

I can't say too much more on the matter without revealing bits and pieces of the plot to you, I fear that I've already said too much DX.

I hope that gives everyone a better understanding of the time frame in which this story occurs, it's very important. This may be a yaoi fic focusing on the Zeme shipping, but it's also a sort of murder mystery (_the plot device I am using to try and logically drive them together._)

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**Who's alive, who's dead, and whom is where:**

If you have a good enough memory or like to constantly go back and reread VK like I do, then you'll have noticed with my big reveal on the time line that **Shizuka** has already been killed. Shizuka will not make an appearance, and **Maria** has already gone back home. That's all I can say right now. XD

**Kaito** - I don't understand him, so I don't think I'll shove him in the middle of this.

As you may or may not be able to tell, I have pulled something from the recent chapters of the story (_in the 50's I think_) to lump with what's going on now. It makes sense, don't worry.

I just realized that what might confuse many about the time line and about who is alive or dead, if the fact that I have brought attention to **Haine** and **Yuri**, which is the names I gave to Yori's two friends. You don't see them until chapter, like, what, 52? I'm pretty darn sure that they've been at the academy the entire time, which is why it's safe to place them in the fic, since it adds to human interaction and they're of convenience.

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**Special Note About Ichiru:**

With the time line I provided, he shouldn't even be anywhere near Cross Academy, he should still be sulking somewhere about Shizuka's death. He doesn't even enroll until chapter 30. For my personal convenience, I just made his feelings a bit more stubborn, more bitter towards Zero as an excuse for a logical reason to throw him into the day class.

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**Special Note About Takuma Ichijou and Tsukiko Aidou:**

I have no idea what their special powers are, but for all intents and purposes I am assigning water to Tsukiko, to be similar to Hanabusa, and Wind to Takuma. I read somewhere that Rima's special power was lightening... but for all three I can't recall.

Their powers are not only abilities, but part of their personalities as well.

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**Events:**

I'm not too sure if I already made a reference to Zero drinking Kaname's blood, which also happens in chapter 30, and I've honestly been on the fence about including that in this particular fic, but I have a plan to use the same scene, different circumstances. Whether or not I'll include it remains to be undecided.

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**Rewriting STS:**

I know that my writing isn't the best out there, but now that I have a decent plot formed, it should become smoother from here on out, since I have an idea of what I'm actually doing. This means rewriting the past chapter's I've published to improve their quality. There will be minimal changes in the scenes, if none at all, and perhaps I'll even be adding things from Kaname's POV to help the transition process, since it's easier to write from a third person omniscient than a third person limited.

Chapter one will for the most part, stay the same. I had a lot of inspiration for writing that chapter as an introduction to this fic, and I was very happy with the set up. Chapter three I will definitely be rewriting and adding some Kaname time in, seeing as there's a very good place or two where I can have him take over. ^^

I love the title I came up with for this project, and I'm happy that it's a unique one. I search all my titles before turning them into stories (save for R, it was a temp). I will probably change the chapter titles though, to make them sound like they're worth reading. DX

The description I gave on Kain, Haine and Yori's hair were both of straw, they will be corrected to strawberry blond for the men and light caramel respectively, since I had a different hue in mind when writing the descriptions.

(MUTHERFUCKER I JUST DELETED SOMETHING IMPORTANT DDDDX) *It was Uzumaki Drop Actually*

Ignore that. ^

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**Updates:**

I'm going to try to update STS every 7 - 10 days. I've started putting up release dates of my fics and their chapters on my profile, so once I decide on when the next release will be, I'll post it on my profile. There will also be other things there like upcoming fics and such. I think I might start answering to questions in reviews on my profile. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was being rude by not answering your questions or comments, but I was busy writing and pulling my hair over forming a logical plot. Logic will be the death of me, a fantasy writer. DX

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**Other fics:** (Feel free to ignore this section)

Uzumaki Drop - A future project in which the night class members combine (swirl - uzumaki) their powers to create figures to play a chess-like game.

Resurrection - I should know better than to try to bring logic into a prediction fic. I've tangled my brain into knots and that one is on** hiatus**, on the verge of being destroyed. Please, don't visit it either. You won't know what's going on, as it's based off of a theory about reincarnation. It's a tl;dr piece.

VKoCC09 - **Hiatus**, I should know better than try to write about something I've only seen one episode of. I've written myself into a corner.

Masochistic Desire - **Completed**. It was a thank you oneshot for Sagakure-sama and I won't be making any more chapters since it was a particular prompt.

I will be writing other oneshots for VK and be starting new ones for other series. More on that in my profile.

**Profile:**

I update on my profile now, including dates, releases and whatnot, which I might move to my twitter if people watch me.

Here's your bonus, enjoy! And remember that vampires have a reversed sleeping schedule.

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

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**_Side Story: Thumper_**

It was 3pm, much too early for anyone to be up, but as always, Aidou had a broken sleeping pattern. Most times he wouldn't bother his cousin, unless he happened to stir, or turn over in his sleep. The blond would take any movement as an invitation for conversation when he was waiting to conk out. Unfortunately for the strawberry blond, he tossed and turned frequently. And people wondered about the faint dark circles beneath his eyes...

"Kain..."

"Hmm,"

"About the upcoming game..."

"Go back to sleep Hana..." he grunted, pulling another pillow over his head.

"....Never mind then...." Aidou pouted, drawing the curtain around his four poster.

Sure, Kain felt sort of bad for brushing off his cousin, but he wasn't exactly the nicest person during the noon or early evening hours. If he didn't get his sleep, he wouldn't be particularly nice all night.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

The evening had come and gone, classes were mundane, and dinner was almost over. Dorm President Kuran was upstairs on his special couch, sulking because Zero was tending to Yuuki, who had caught a cold recently. Kain knew that he must have been upset with the hunter for getting so close to her, right?

He had no idea.

Ruka was conversing with his other cousin Tsukiko, Rima, and Ichijou. Seiren was nowhere to be found as usual, and the other vampires were either engrossed in some sort of reading material, or were outside enjoying the night. Kain scanned the crowd, looking for the blue eyes of his cousin to no avail. He wanted to finish the discussion that he had abandoned earlier this afternoon about their game of Uzumaki Drop.

With a shrug, he headed up the staircase, figuring that he would come find him when he was ready to share strategy. The upstairs corridors were deserted, typical for the hour, untypical for the faint scent of blood drifting through the air. Doing his best to ignore it, Kain unbuttoned his jacket as he approached his room, intending to catch up on his sleep. A loud popping noise came from inside, like the delicious sound of lips against skin.

"Ngh,"

"Mmmmhh, much better..." a voice sighed from behind the door that wasn't Aidou's.

The door swung open just a moment later, Shiki walking out into the hall with cold air in his wake, paying no mind to the pyro. He looked tired, with a bright dusting of red across his cheeks. Confused as hell, Kain entered cautiously, spotting a disheveled looking blond with the icy blue eyes he had been looking for. Aidou was shirtless and in the middle of putting on a new pair of pajama pants, school clothes crumpled in a pile on the floor. He looked up, seeing the 'WTF?' look on his cousin's normally stoic face and blushed through his unusually pale complexion.

"What-?" Kain started.

He was cut off when Aidou gestured rudely at him before diving behind the thick scarlet curtains around his bed.

What the hell was that? First the scent of blood, then the noise, not to mention the other dozen misleading things wrong with what he witnessed in the last minute alone. Putting it out of his mind, Kain flopped onto his covers without bothering to undress all the way. It was the first day in a while that he slept peacefully throughout.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

Strong sunlight was filtering into the room as Kain awoke. Of all the ways to wake up, this had to be his least favorite. Sure, he was a pyro, he could go out into the daylight if he liked, but it didn't mean that he had any sort of overt fondness for the sun.

Too awake to fall back into a comfortable slumber, Kain got up to head over to the windows, his body was stiff from staying in the same position for the last ten hours. The curtains were tied open with a double knot. With a scowl, the pyro knew that had been Aidou's doing. That brainfrozen idiot must have set the room up just to piss him off. What was his problem? Kain left the drapes the way they were and stalked to his cousin's bed, pulling back the curtains of the four poster with a flourish so the sun could cast its harsh rays on -

The crumpled duvet.

That was weird, Aidou was usually the one to wake him up, and he had gone missing. Something strange was definitely going on. He forced the palm of his heel on the stiffness in his pants, hoping to tamper down the semi-swollen state caused by his dreams. Kain decided to go ahead and shower early, grabbing a set of clothes from the top drawer of his dresser on his way out.

The shower down the halls was for the males only, the few females in the Moon Dorm were assigned rooms with their own lavatories attached. They had sectioned showers for quick bathing and separate bath and shower areas for relaxation. Since it was still more than an hour away from sunset, he would take his time in a nice, long, hot stream of water to take care of his problem.

Kain pushed the door open, already thinking of mentally stimulating images when he was greeted by a rush of cold air, followed by the sound of running water and voices bouncing off of tiles, slightly distorting them and the words. He instantly summoned fire to his side to warm the rising goosebumps and keep his stiffy alive. There was no way he would give up a morning fap with so much time to spare. He would just have to use the showers in the very back.

"I don't think I can do much for the erection."

The pyro stopped in his tracks.

"What do you mean? All you have to do is give it a little blow, the surface is smooth so it'll just slide right along."

"But I prefer making something soft hard, yours is already hard. The movement is stiff and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Come on, I'm not asking you to bend over backwards, just blow hotly and it'll melt the way it should."

"I'm not sure if you're under or overestimating my powers."

The voice laughed softly.

"Over? Under? Which would you prefer? You know if we switch and have yours underneath, the feeling could be different."

"You know, that's not a bad idea."

Wet rhythmic noises echoed off the tile, making a thumping noise.

"Too much!" one voice cautioned.

Kain had heard enough. He turned and slammed the door open loudly, as if he were just coming in. There were startled gasps coming from the sectioned showers when he made his footsteps heavy to announce his presence. The noise ceased immediately. As he thought, Aidou was occupying one of the stalls. To his surprise, Ichijou was showering too, in the stall right next to his, the two separated only by a waist high divider.

"Ah, morning Akatsuki."

"Mrh," he scowled at the man's nervous emerald eyes in a manner he hoped seemed half awake.

Aidou, acting childishly, again turned the other cheek to his cousin and continued to lather his hair with a strawberry scented shampoo. Kain's perverted mind wouldn't let him rest after hearing that conversation. He quickly locked himself in a separate shower, intent on solving one problem at a time.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

Breakfast was strained between Kaname's inner circle, as most of the males were avoiding each other on some sort of level, the most noticeable avoidance being between Aidou towards Kain. Everyone left in a sluggish pace, none too eager to travel through the annoyance that was sunlight.

"Idol!!"

"Wild! Look over here!"

"Kaname-sempai! kyaa!"

As they passed through the gate, from the corner of his eye, Kain could see Aidou making off with Zero into a throng of day class girls, their annoying squealing trailing after the pair. What the hell could Aidou, someone who hated Zero almost as much as Kaname did, want with the hunter?

"Wonder what's up with him. Hm?" Rima mumbled, voicing his thoughts out loud. She offered him a stick of Pocky, which he chewed on in thought.

"No idea." he murmured in return. "Hanabusa hates Kiryuu."

"Aidou? No, I meant Kaname-sama, though I guess the same could be said about him."

"Huh?" Kain looked to Kaname, who seemed to be glaring off in the direction Aidou and Kiryuu disappeared to. "You're right."

"Someone's in trouble." Ruka smirked.

"Probably." Rima was already bored with the news, not really much of a gossiper.

"He's asking to be slapped if he makes the night class look bad again." Kain muttered, taking another stick. He was was beginning to crave more sweets. Damn that he accepted that chocolate in the first place.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

Aidou was late to class, disheveled, and not to mention pissed.

"So nice of you to join us, Aidou-kun."

"Sensei I can explain,"

"_I'll_ take care of this, if you don't mind sensei."

"Erm, not at all, Kaname-sama."

Kaname offered the teacher a curt bow before tugging the blond by his ear out of the classroom.

This time Aidou was the only one to get in trouble. Finally! Kain was tired of being a victim of circumstances.

Neither of them were present for any other class that evening. Kain went back to homeroom to ask the teacher where Kaname had gone, only to be redirected back to the dorms. It was becoming a pain in the ass to find his cousin. He figured he would let the blond come to him as he entered the kitchen, determined to satisfy his sweet tooth that the Pocky had caused earlier. Muffled voices came from a jointed room to the side of the kitchen

"You'll have to masturbate to release the flavor."

The hell? Kain recognized the tenor of Kaname's voice. He would have gone to ask him where Aidou had gone, but he had a feeling he shouldn't intrude on whatever was going on with whom. Had he just heard correctly?

"So you'll help me if I do this, right?"

"No, this is your punishment for being late to class. Remember when we tried before? You couldn't handle my raw power, and you were butthurting for days."

"But how exactly do you expect me to do this?"

"I already showed you, it's not that hard. Well, I guess right now it is for you, but use your head."

"Grnnnn....." Aidou groaned.

Not waiting for the soft wet sounds that had already started to continue, Kain ran out of the kitchen as quietly as he could, heart hammering a mile a minute. He knew his cousin was flirtatious; the guy had the day class girls fawning over him on a daily basis. But he never knew that Aidou was into men. Did that have something to do with why he was ignoring him? Kain let the thought trail off right there, afraid to work out any sort of possibility, fearing the results of his pondering. The crisp, refreshing night air would clear his head. It had to.

He headed out front to sit beneath the soothing light of the full moon, distracting himself by contemplating all possible reasons he, a vampire, could have been named "Akatsuki".

"I want to live on the moon..." he sighed.

The pyro must have sat there for a couple of hours, mind eventually falling into non-thinking as he watched the moon sink lower in the sky. A soft voice woke him from his trance.

"Akatsuki?"

"Hn?" Kain turned to face his other cousin, Tsukiko.

"Have you seen Hana?"

His eyebrow twitched.

"I'm trying to avoid him right now, so no, I haven't seen him. He was with our gang leader, but that was a few hours ago."

Every bit as perceptive as her brother, Tsukiko was quick to pick up on his slip.

"Good thing you're avoiding him. He'd throw a hissy fit and tell you to call him the supreme gang leader or something." she rolled her eyes in amusement. "So if you can't tell me where you've last seen him, can you tell me where he probably is?"

Those damn siblings. Kain sighed, keeping in mind that she only wanted to find him, not drag them both into a confrontation. She wasn't like that. He decided to cover himself and Hanabusa anyway.

"I don't know."

She recognized that tone. Tsukiko conceded, not wanting to press the issue.

"Well Ichijou already went to bed, and I'm going in a minute. Could you pass along a message to him? Since you two share the same room and all."

Did she have to remind him of how awkward that would be? His brows furrowed before he accepted.

"Un."

"Ichijou says that he'll try again tomorrow, as long as in the game room, in private."

Kain paled. Maybe he really _was_ born under the "Victim of Circumstances" Star. He turned to look at his little cousin, his gold eyes nearly burning into her unflinching blue.

"Un." came the laconic reply. Both went back to the dorms, leaving conversation and the warm night air behind.

The crowd in the front sitting room was thinning considerably for a weekend twilight. Kain paid no mind as he climbed the stairs and took the familiar halls to his room, parting ways with Tsukiko one hall before his without a goodnight.

He shouldn't have been surprised to hear some sort of activity going on behind his door, a muffle voice calling out. If Aidou really was gay, he might soon be hearing that a lot.

_"Ahh, ahh, shit, I can't keep going, haa."_

Kain stopped. Did he _dare_ to go inside? He listened for a moment, curious as to whether or not someone else was in there as well.

_"Argh,"_

He could hear wet rhythmic sounds issuing out from the room, getting louder. Goodness.

_"Ahh, come... on..."_

The wet noises grew louder still, a quick thumping noise pealing through the air until an agonized scream cut through the dorm.

_**"AAARRRHHHHH FUCK!"**_

"Hanabusa!!"

Kain burst into the frigid room, looking around for what could have hurt his cousin, only to spot him crumpled on the floor, pink in the face, clutching a dripping, angry red hand. Liquid was pooled at his knees. Aidou scrambled to make it behind the safety of his bedspread.

"Oh no you don't, hold it right there Thumper!"

Aidou reluctantly turned a teary face to his cousin, clutching him around the waist, clinging and cuddling.

"Akatsuki!!" he sobbed. "I-I-I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. I've tried to get others to replace you, I've t-t-tried to d-do it myself, but now I realize that you're the only one that I can ever partner with. P-please. I can't take it anymore!"

"Relax! What the hell are you talking about!" Kain was puzzled, wondering what the hell was eating his cousin, or what _he_ might have been eating.

"He's finally cracked, eh?" Ruka poked her head in the doorway, followed by Rima and Ichijou.

"It was only a matter of time." Shiki frowned as he passed by, gnawing on Pocky.

"I didn't think he would even make it as far as he did." Kaname sighed, watching the scene unfold.

"What the hell are they talking about Hana?" Kain demanded.

"I need you Akatsuki!"

Kain blushed profusely, all to aware of the entire night class wathing his gay cousin confess to him.

"Woah, he actually said it." Rima said in amusement.

"Wait wait wait, I'm not like that, at least, I'm pretty darn, sure, I haven't tried like you have, but I'm certain that I wouldn't like it!"

**"HUH?"**

The dorm asked in unison. Kain felt like he sent his brain to the moon.

"What are you talking about?" Aidou asked.

"I don't know... what the hell are you talking about?"

"Uzumaki Drop." he blinked, confused.

Relief shot through Kain's system like morphine.

"I thought,"

"Wait wait, you thought I, was...?"

"Well, what was with Shiki coming out of your room yesterday?! And that sound!"

"I froze Shiki's blood, I felt bad, and let him have some of mine."

"Ichijou? He said he didn't think there was much he could do for the erection!"

"What?" Ichijou looked taken back. "You must be talking about when Aidou and I were discussing how to form a good Uzumaki. There wasn't much I could do for the _direction_."

"Yeah, all he had to do was give the figure a blow to its destination, but then we decided to try and use his powers on the bottom as a base." Aidou's eyebrow was raised, mirroring all the other vampires.

"The gang leader?" he asked desperately, earning a glare from the class, save for Ichijou and Rima.

"Supreme gang leader!" Aidou corrected.

"Whatever! He wanted you to 'masturbate to release the flavor'! Saying you tried before, couldn't handle his power, and ended up with butthurt!"

Ichijou let out a snerk before bursting into a fit. Even Rima was chortling; Ruka was simply horrified. Kaname looked downright amused.

"Kaname-sama put me on dinner duty, he wanted me to _macerate_ the juice and skins of white grapes. We tried to make an Uzumaki once before, a long time ago when I invented the game, but he was too powerful for me to keep up with, and I complained about it forever. You remember that, don't you? You were there! Butthurt is when someone whines a lot."

Kain could have died right there. He had never been so embarrassed in all his life.

"We're going to bed." Rima laughed, tugging Ruka along, who was clutching a stich in her side.

"Come on Ichijou," Shiki pulled the breezy blond with him to their room.

Kaname left, shaking his head, which he seemed to do often around his friends, leaving the cousins alone.

"So you actually thought I was gay?"

"Yeah, and what were you doing when I came in?"

Aidou held up his freezing hand to point at a block of ice he had been trying to shape with his body heat.

"You're really that stupid, huh." Kain asked, sighing with relief.

"I am not! Either way, it's good to know that you would help me regardless."

"Huh?"

"You came running when I screamed in pain."

"Oh, that."

"Thanks, you know?" Aidou smiled.

"Um, sure." Kain smiled back, helping his cousin up. "So what happened with Kiryuu to make me misunderstand?"

"What?" Aidou raised a brow.

"Kiryuu?" Kain shut the door as he started to change clothes. Aidou turned to his covers, smoothing them out before climbing in nervously.

"Goodnight Akatsuki." he called.

"Wait, you still didn't answer-"

**"Goodnight!"**

"Goodnight, Thumper."

Aidou flinched from beneath his bedsheets.

Kain decided not to ask.

Ever again.

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

I stretched the release date by half an hour because I came up a better ending at the last moment than I had first planned. XD

I'll do a _fine_ edit later, since I want to get the chapter out right now. XD

**Reviews:** Tell me what you think of the sidestory?


	7. Chapter six: Lips Like Poison

* * *

**A/N:** Action, fluff, and new concepts for you guys. Yummy! :D Sorry that I made you guys go a whole, what, twenty days without any story development? DX This will be the only author note, as I don't want to spoil the mood at the end. So I'll just stick the **Review: **I would love you forever. Right there.

Whenever you hear things like "drop board" or whatever, just think of a chess board. The game of Uzumaki Drop is **very** similar to chess, except with a few key differences mentioned in the previous chapter. They practice on little drop boards, the bigger ones are used for tournaments and serious play. There are a lot of Zeros in the one scene (the water figurines) because they use him as pawns.

Bear with me, as the middle has a point.

_**

* * *

**_

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

"I have a plan, take me with you!"

"You!"

"Call me 'Chii'."

Zero was desperate enough to try any strategy at the moment. As the council members descended, he gathered up the bleeding blond, one of the faster vampires missing her by centimeters. It was all the incentive he needed. The hunter fired a few rounds into the crowd, each bullet hitting its mark. The pair held their breath, but no one shattered.

Damn! He must not have shot through a head or heart.

"They need me, we all have orders, they don't think you would threaten my life. If you bite me, that could stop them."

"Why the hell should I take your word for it when they just tried to kill you?!" Zero glared at Chii, not buying the act.

"Just, trust me!"

They made a mad dash to the shadows of the buildings, confusion overtaking the streets. Zero fired a few more shots before disappearing into a dusty apartment to replace the magazine.

"Our Mistress told them to keep me alive, you have to trust me! Go into the middle of the alley and bite my neck, spill my blood, do something that shows them you're serious!"

"Alright! Damn, if that doesn't stop them I'm going to let them feed on you!" Zero snarled.

"It will!"

He followed Chii's advice and changed their location, running out into the open, before sinking his fangs into her thin skin. He could taste the bitter iron that flooded his mouth, nearly making him gag. The blood was undrinkable, and he wasn't about to try.

The action seemed to work - for a moment every vampire stilled, giving the hunter half a second to scan the area. Two of the council was down, ready to burst into dust and shards.

A bullet flew past him in that same second.

"Kiryuu!!"

Zero recognized that voice. A man that he had seen numerous times before at the Hunter's Association, medium height, scarred, muscular, with a bit of facial hair, stepped out from the shadows. He threw a harsh glare at his fellow hunter, stalling the council for a longer period. They looked on, unsure about their next course of action.

"I got reports of high vampire activity in this side of town. I thought they," he nodded his head to the council "were trying to murder you in revenge for that pureblood. I was going to get you outta this mess, until I realized that they're right to hunt you."

The council watched as he cocked his gun and aimed straight for Zero's head.

"Let the girl go."

**_"He's our kill! We have orders!"_**

"I have orders as well."

**_"Kill him first!"_**

They crouched, ready to spring, but no one wanted to get in the way of the gun. If any one of them was killed by his bullet, nothing could be done to wage war on the association. Not that it was necessary, considering their current relations...

Zero couldn't die yet, he still had someone to murder! Even then, when he finally did request for his life to end, he wouldn't want any of them to do it. He would want a certain brunette to kill him. The thought made his heart thud, though in this moment it was pumping liquid lead through his body, filling his legs so he couldn't escape. He was trapped from above, his front, and his right. Now that his movements had become predictable to the vampires, he was likely to get cut off before he would make it to the shelter of a building. Running through the alley behind would cause him to be flagged down, and he couldn't kill the opposing hunter.

"...zero..." Chii whimpered in a frightened tone.

The avenue above held only one enemy, he could escape via the archway overhead. It would clear enough room to assassinate the rest of the council and leave the grounded hunter unharmed.

He squeezed the handle of his gun, friction so intense his skin nearly melded to the metal. It threatened to explode with the pressure his trigger finger was exerting.

"Zero..." she chided.

A tendril of excitement awakened in him. He retracted his fangs from the blond and pointed his gun upwards, that same excitement spreading heat through his entire body. The vampires were getting impatient at the association's hesitation.

"Zero!"

He would prove that he wasn't helpless!

The heat reached his fingertips, causing his hand to jerk, launching his bullet in addition to the one the other hunter shot. Council members flew forward, raring to tear the ex-human to shreds. The bullet Zero loosed split clean through the single vampire on the archway, blood and dust raining down. His hand felt inseparable from his gun as he staggered backwards, the impact force of the other hunter's bullet ghosting through the girl standing against him. The bullet solidified when it let her human aura, clipping the ends of a few strands of Zero's hair. The spell that increased its area of effect grazed his cheek.

A near miss to becoming dust, the other hunter was already aiming for a second shot.

"We're gonna die!"

She flinched as the heat from Zero's grip burst into thick thorny vines with the scent of sandalwood. His eyes widened in surprise as they swept through the alleyway, ensnaring the vampires. He had no idea in hell how this happened, but he wasn't going to let it go to waste. The vines felt like a metallic, yet natural extension of his arm. He could feel the thorns piercing through flesh, drinking whatever blood it found.

"What the hell are you?" Chii asked.

Zero had no answer to that. He didn't even know anymore.

He flexed the vines, the action bringing a surge of blood and immense pleasure to his core.

The scattered tendrils were being ripped and torn. Zero wasn't familiar enough with his new appendages to control them well. What had bought him some time was now becoming a burden.

_"I don't care what we were ordered! Kill them both!"_

A bullet cut through the vines to lodge in the woman's skull, making her explode into shards. The other hunter reloaded his gun, cursing for not counting his rounds. Zero tried to curl the vines around the bodies of its captives, intent on crushing them. Teeth and claws came out to fight off the offending bonds, some using whatever powers they might have possessed.

This was the distraction he had been waiting for. Zero shoved Chii away from him, pointing to the other hunter with his normal hand.

"Go with him!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" she ran around him to the scarred man, tugging on his arm insistently. He looked up, surveyed the scene and decided to take her to safety, likely hoping that Zero and the council would eliminate each other.

Zero felt the blood flow from his vines reversing. He looked to the council to find a few vampires trying to bite through the metal of the vines. They were taking back their blood.

"You're being unreliable again."

Everyone looked up at the arch to the owner of those words. Kaname's slender silhouette towered over the scene below. His eyes lit crimson for a moment before choking noises issued from the throats of the council. Zero turned, bracing himself in anticipation of an attack until he saw the puce faces of the vampires. Their hands clutched their throats.

The pressure was building.

It sounded like cannons were going off as they exploded into dust, crystals and blood, which splattered all over the immediate area, showering Kaname and Zero in a spray of stale smelling blood.

It was out to get Zero, he would swear it.

Kaname came down from the arch, landing right next to the hunter.

"You can let go now, the threat is gone." the pureblood reached for his gun. "Come on,"

He tried coaxing the gun out of his hands, only to be met by a barrier. The metallic vines reacted, moving of their own will to climb and ensnare Kaname, digging into his flesh to seek nourishment.

"Bloody Rose, if you have awakened that much, you must recognize my voice? As well as the taste of my blood. Would you kindly take down those vines restraining me?" Kaname asked.

Zero's body jerked as the vines slackened.

"There is someone I want to protect." he continued.

They began to retract at the sound of his voice, choosing instead to slip and scrape around its master, uselessly sinking its thorns into his flesh. Kaname took hold of the barrel, ignoring the barrier's crackling protest against his skin.

"Grnn..."

The pain was beginning to get to Zero as well, he and the gun clinging to each other in fear of separation. Kaname exerted more pressure, trying not to hurt Zero, prying it out of his grip bit by bit.

"AH!"

Another bullet flew, the result of an accidental discharge. Zero ignored the shot, sulking about the situation.

Bloody Rose was taken from its master, vines retracting into the metal. Kaname dropped the angry weapon, taking Zero's shoulders to examine him. The hunter huffed from exhaustion; he had exerted too much power. Though he had managed to kill a few council members and their leader, Kaname had to sweep in and save him again. He glared up at the pureblood's worried eyes, thoughts as pessimistic as ever. He had lost control of his powers, something he hadn't even known that he had. What happened? When Yuuki was alive he was so strong. Though he was gaining power, his strength was disappearing.

A warm weight collided into him, making the hunter stagger back. Zero snapped out of his thoughts when he realized what had just happened.

Kaname had collapsed.

"Kuran!"

Zero eased the heavy pureblood to the ground. His brunette hair fell into his eyes as Zero looked him over. What the hell was wrong with him? He had never displayed this kind of behavior before. Had the misfire hit him? It didn't, right? Otherwise he would have fallen right right after the bullet penetrated him. But he did smell Kaname's blood. Thanks to all of the blood that had been spilled in the area he wasn't sure if he was bleeding a little or a lot.

"Hey, wake up."

He brushed back Kaname's bangs, seeking out the rust colored orbs that hid behind pale lids.

"Oi,"

Quickly, he unbuttoned the front of the pureblood's uniform, noting a small splash of blood along the white material. Oh please no.

As his fingers danced along the dark material of his undershirt, feeling for a warm wet spot that could possibly have been blood from a wound. Kaname's eyelids fluttered.

"I'm collapsed, not passed out you idiot."

That made Zero jump, sighing with relief.

"Who's the dramatic idiot here? You're the one trying to scare me into thinking that I've accidentally shot you."

"Well I'm poisoned, not shot. That still doesn't change the fact that you're an idiot."

"Maybe I should just leave you here then."

Zero regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. Kaname hadn't left him there after he feinted on two separate occasions, nor did he leave Zero to fend for himself in the battle against the council. Most of it anyways, which he admittedly would have needed help in, since he couldn't control his very new, very draining powers. This time he felt that the guilt prickling in him was appropriate. Hurt echoed somewhere within him, which he promptly ignored. It was like he was carrying two hearts or something, with all of these dual feelings that had been plaguing him as of late.

"You must be exhausted." he commented offhandedly.

With an effort, he gathered up the tall pureblood into his arms.

"The Chairman keeps a residence around here somewhere, with a faded red awning."

"Around here?" Zero frowned in distaste. "It's inconspicuous, to say the least."

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

"Ichijou-kun,"

"Hm?"

"What's been going on with Kiryuu-kun and Kaname-sama?"

Takuma was taken aback for a moment, until he realized that Tsukiko _was_ related to Hanabusa. It made perfect sense for her to notice anything unusual. He let up his influence over the wind, the lack of the shaping caress of his gale was instantly noticeable on her water pawns.

"So you noticed too." he said softly.

"I may be quiet, but that doesn't mean I can't hear, or see." she frowned.

"Ah, sorry Tsukiko-chan, I shouldn't have assumed,"

"It's alright." she assured, walking the water figurine of her brother around the board, throwing him off of the edge with her powers so he splashed into oblivion on the marble floor.

"You better not do that around the detectives." Shiki said, entering his dorm.

"Especially eye patch." Rima looked irritated. "He'll think less of us if you let Aidou die carelessly."

"He doesn't know if he approves of Uzumaki Drop or thinks of it as a part of our 'brutal' nature."

"Well you two seem awfully unhappy." Takuma mused.

"We went to the game room to get in some last minute practice, but ran into the Chairman and eye patch. We were going to come back upstairs and let them have the room, but the Chairman wanted to see what UD was about."

"He bribed us with a Pocky promise." Shiki provided. "He'll buy us some later today when he goes out."

"Long story short, eye patch made a face at our sharing blood."

"I wouldn't have pegged you two for the sensitive type." Takuma chortled.

"His face gets annoying, and that sounded like a bad pirate joke."

"Didn't you have an emergency stash in your room Rima-chan?"

"You smelled that muss Tsuki-chan, I'm not going back into my room until it's disinfected. I was surprised that Ruka went into that filth to get anything, even if she was embarrassed. She's usually the first to avoid things like that."

"Speaking of Ruka, where is she? I didn't see her at dinner?"

"Probably in Kaname's room, I probably would be too." Rima shrugged.

"Hm... I'll be back."

"Wait, where are you going?"

Shiki covered his nose with his pajama top.

"Pocky."

"You're hopeless Shiki-kun." Tsukiko laughed.

He crossed the hall to Rima's dorm, turning the handle haphazardly. The musty scent, now mingled with cleaning products, threatened to assault his senses. Carefully stepping over the foaming shampoo of the carpet, he padded over to the girl's vanity where the last box of Pocky, possibly in the school, sat. Shiki picked up the red packaging only to drop the box, sticky scarlet smearing one finger.

"Eugh,"

The girls were lucky to have their own private bathrooms in addition to the public ones. He turned on the faucet to wash off the gunk, only to find that it wasn't there anymore. Had he really touched that stuff, or was it his imagination? With a shrug he skinned the box off of the foil wrapped biscuits. A moment later Shiki was back by Rima's side. She sent a grateful look to him as a stick was lifted from the foil.

"What'd I miss?"

"We're just wondering when Ruka's going to come out. Kaname-sama does say things with an ambiguous nature." Tsukiko absentmindedly toyed with her queen piece - a water figurine of the late Yuuki.

"Probably not for a while, until after everyone's slept off the events. Though," Ichijou focused his powers on water-Yuuki, winds enveloping the figurine so that her form became taut and smooth as glass. "Do you think we should start using a new piece in place of Yuuki's? How will Kaname react to that?"

Yuuki's water figurine walked around the drop board, wandering into the group of drippy Zeros. They all stared at her until Ichijou expanded his wind control over the entire board, making every piece look like shiny glass. Little Yuuki smiled at them before Kaname came over from his king spot to stand between her and a few of the Zeros who, in turn, scowled at the unflinching pureblood replica.

"She has the queen's spot of the drop board. It's a powerful position that's hard not to notice. We'll have to ask Kaname-sama." Rima muttered, chewing another Pocky stick.

"Hopefully he'll skip over the moping and rearrange the ranks." Aidou said from the hallway. Everyone in the room turned to acknowledge his presence, decorated with pajamas and a plushie of their pureblood leader.

"There's such a thing as obsession you know." Tsukiko laughed at her brother, half worried about his fondness of Kaname. "Ruka will be jealous that you have that."

"She'll have to make one herself." he stuck his bandaged fingers out as proof of his hard work, beaming at them.

"I'm sure she'll just try to take yours." Ichijou chuckled along at his friend's innocence.

"All joking aside, he'll probably have to modify my game again."

"You think so?"

"I know so, knowing him. I still can't figure out why he put her in such a position of power in the first place..."

Aidou continued down the hall, stroking the felt of his Kaname plushie as he contemplated why he would give privilege of power to her before anyone else in the night class.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

"Oi. You're heavy."

"I didn't complain when I carried you over a gate, across a courtyard and up a flight of stairs." Kaname laughed weakly. "You were dead weight then, so it was a lot harder."

"How the hell do you let someone poison you?" Zero growled.

"If I didn't drink it they would have sent someone to kill you on the spot. It was a fifty fifty chance that it was laced. The council was so self important that they liked to play games with their prey."

"Like you?" he huffed. Kaname said nothing to that. "You don't seem too worried about it."

Zero walked up the few steps to the porch of the building Kaname had indicated. He opened the door and brought the pureblood inside the clean abode. It looked like someone still cared for it even though it was weathered on the outside.

Closing the door behind him, the enveloping darkness made the hunter hyper-aware of the man in his arms. His comfortable warmth, weight, and the way his head rested weakly against his chest. His blood began to race.

"Uncomfortable?" the pureblood smirked, hearing the pounding beats.

"No." his traitorous heart lurched in surprise.

He couldn't hide anything, could he? Kaname shifted up, a hand gripping the hunter's shoulder for support.

_"Your body is telling on you."_ he whispered against the hunter's ear, warm breath tickling the skin.

A fierce blush spill across his cheeks as he fumbled around the building, entering a side room where sunshine weakly streamed in from a window near a bed.

"The Chairman had this built long ago, but he never uses it. Still, he likes to keep it clean."

Zero wondered briefly how long "long ago" was if the building was in the abandoned district. He trudged forward, exhausted from the fight, and placed the heavy pureblood on top of the white duvet. Kaname's grip refused to let up, keeping the hunter pressed against him as he tried to get up.

"I haven't dismissed you yet." he murmured sleepily, arms snaking around the silver haired youth to hold him gently.

He would have had a damn heart attack if it wasn't so soothing. The pureblood was poisoned, possibly in the last stages of sobering up - he wasn't in the right state of mind, and possibly wouldn't remember much when the fog clears. That would be his excuse. Fingers caressed against auburn hair, feelings half content, half excited.

_"I don't answer to you..."_ Zero informed, absentmindedly twirling a dark lock.

Kaname held him tighter, burying his nose into the soft strands of silver, inhaling. The hunter's stomach did funny little backflips.

"Is that so...?"

They lay that way for several minutes until Zero thought the pureblood had fallen asleep. He tried to disentangle himself from the man beneath him, but his arms still kept him firmly against his chest.

_"Zero?"_

"Hm?" he glanced up inquisitively.

The same turmoil waged beneath the rust color of his eyes. Now would be as good a time as any to tell Zero, when he was comfortable and happy, according to his heart, and had him for support.

Tell a truth or a lie?

Protect or expose?

Either way, one of them would always end up being hated.

He went with truth, and, guilt prickling worse than ever, took a separate avenue than originally intended.

_"I'm sorry I hit you..."_

It wasn't the truth he needed to tell, but he wasn't lying at least. Kaname brought a hand up to rest against the hunter's head, fingertips skimming the smooth cheek, feeling the heat and movement of blood beneath it. He was so hungry.

"Forget about it." he muttered, brows furrowing.

He had almost forgotten for himself.

"You can hit me back if you want."

"No."

The pureblood was taken aback by the abrupt reply. It wasn't angry, just instant, and decisive.

"Why not?"

"'Anger will do no good now.'"

Kaname's breath caught, he hadn't figured Zero ever paid attention to him. He brought his lips to the hunter's scalp, murmuring a low thank you.

Zero stilled, unsure of how much more he could take; their twin heartbeats reminded him of their awkward position. Placing a hand on the older man's shoulder, he carefully disentangled himself, to which Kaname didn't protest this time. Those lips were like poison. They were deadly devices that would one day make Zero bow to his whims...

"I'm going to see if the Chairman paid the utilities to this too." he muttered, staring into the dark hall.

The pureblood smiled and nodded, knowing Zero would feel the movement as he exited the room. Heat burned against their skin from where they had been touching, bare palms, arms, their chests trough their uniforms... They felt cold, alone without the comfort of each other's heat. The hunter closed his eyes, thinking back. He clenched his fists as he sorted through memories of his first few conversations with Yuuki.

"Someone with very gentle hands..."

It might well have been that pureblood who taught that girl how to have such a tender and loving heat towards us all. Zero had to choke back a sob. Realization struck.

_So all that warmth was from him..._

. . . . .

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

* * *


	8. Chapter Seven: Uncertainty Surprise

**A/N:** Personally, I think the story is opening up, and I sort of like that. This is also a mystery, so I can't focus on just one genre for too long. But don't worry, there's something special in here for you guys. ;) If you like it, please let me know, as I'm trying to judge in which chapter *how soon* would be the right time. It's still a bit off, but if you've supported me this far, know that it's all appreciated.

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

_"You're not good enough. You know this better than anyone."_

_Ruka peeked through her bangs at the tiny girl. Her dark hair was a shocking contrast to how pale her skin was, save for the pink in her cheeks and the glow of her warm chocolate eyes. The vampire frowned at her, before turning over, annoyed with her face that was so reminiscent of Kaname's._

_"I don't know what you're talking about." Ruka mumbled, curling up._

_"Oh? But you do."_

_Her eyes drifted to a close, just for a moment, just long enough for Ruka to see Kaname's face once more, to feel the blood painting her face puce with embarrassment before the memory fled. Ruka could feel her face burning in the wake of that nightmare in the white purgatory of dreamland._

_"If you become a pureblood, oniisama might love you." the girl teased._

_"You can't become a pureblood, it's physiologically impossible." Ruka sighed, missing the latter half of the statement.  
_

_That thought had crossed her mind more times than she could count, until Kaname had taken a liking to that little human female. Was she really that unattractive? That detestable to him? The little girl's smile became brighter as she circled Ruka, leaning down to address her from a distance._

_"Maybe not, but what about oniisan? He's getting stronger because he and oniisama share."_

_"I have no idea what you're talking about, little one."_

_The child got down to her hands and knees, crawling up to Ruka to kiss her on the cheek. Ruka abruptly recoiled, goosebumps rising from where she was kissed. She eyed the girl with distaste, defeat. Great, now she was being mocked by a child for her inadequacy._

_"You're funny Ruka-san." she grinned, showing off a set of snowy white fangs much too long to belong to a vampire child. "If you want, you can share with me."_

_Ruka had a feeling that she knew exactly what she was talking about, but decided to ask anyway._

_"What is it that you're trying to share?"_

_"You're the one who wanted to talk to me. Remember how you first called?"_

_Genuinely confused, Ruka shook her head. The child frowned for the first time during their conversation. It was a sort of cute pout that drew the vampire in._

_"Oneesama sent the first to find oneesan, but it didn't work. She sent this one to find oniisama, but it didn't work either." she mumbled to herself._

_The elder vampire stared, uncomprehending. That little girl looked so much like Kaname..._

_"Call me if you want to share, Ruka-san."_

"Ruka? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm not sharing." she mumbled sleepily.

"Sharing? I'm not trying to make you. I just wanted to check on you, it sounded like you were having a bad dream." Rima brushed Ruka's bangs out of her eyes, worried about her friend.

"What time is it?"

"Pretty late. Even though everyone just went to bed, it's already noon."

"....Rima, am I good enough?"

Rima sat down on the canopy bed, running her fingers through her hair in a soothing manner. She wasn't all that great with words, given that her personality was normally stoic, but she would try."

"Of course. Some people don't see that. And those who don't, are blinded by their personal wants... You're important. It's just that it's in a different way than you would like. Kaname-sama finds value in all of us. He gets rid of those who aren't useful."

"So what happens when I'm not useful anymore?"

"You're probably one of the most loyal people to him. Because of that, you'll never become useless."

Ruka reached up to grasp Rima's hand, giving it a squeeze before whispering her thanks.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

The stench of stale blood was really beginning to get to Zero. Although more mild compared to how strong it usually was, he was still very tempted to burn all their clothes. He wouldn't reconsider burning the sheets that were stained with it in the bedroom Kaname was occupying, but the school uniforms were a different story. He had wandered around the apartment, exploring the rooms, and managed to locate the master bedroom, a western-style full, and half bathroom.

The area was as well kept as Kaname had first indicated. Though there was no food, the bathing products hadn't dried up and crystallized. The hunter snorted, thinking he should have expected this since Kaien was such a neat freak. Zero threw his uniform to soak in a tub full of soapy water while he took a cold shower. The heating unit must have been broken or something, but it didn't matter to him. As long as he could scrub the rotting stench off of his skin it wasn't a big deal.

Zero had found some of Kaien's old clothes in the drawers in the master bedroom. They weren't exactly the sort of style he would have normally worn, but it was better than running around in the buff. Shutting off the water, Zero took a towel and dried off, not wanting the leather to rub uncomfortably to his skin as he dressed. He tried on the articles, looking himself over in the mirror, grimacing at the outfit.

The black leather was tight-fitting anyways. It clung to his muscles, outlining them. The top was sort of a vest with a zipper in the front that showed off some of his midriff if he moved, at all. It was adorned with silver, horizontal buckles at the bottom on his flanks and one in the center of his lower back. The pants were of a similar fashion though a little more plain. A belt was sewn into them, buckles placed along it to match the vest.

That was the least risque piece in the drawers. Zero was beginning to look at his adoptive father in a new light, scared to even imagine him wearing any of these outfits. Sure, the Chairman's fashion was always a little on the flamboyant side, like when he wore that fox stole, but this was just, too much. He had to remind himself that it was either that, or the bloody uniform, and he regretfully preferred the leather.

Zero decided to go check on Kaname, wondering whether or not he had fallen asleep. He found the pureblood right where he had left him, laying stiffly on the bed, still covered with some stale blood. He wrinkled his nose, deciding to suck it up and clean him. Using the damp towel, Zero wiped it along Kaname's face, hesitantly undoing the buttons of his undershirt. The skin of Kaname's chest was very warm, and sort of soft, like a girl's. Zero began to blush like one at the thought.

"You're not very good at subtlety, you know that?"

"Well sorry for trying to help you." Zero frowned before continuing in a lighter note. "Did I wake you?"

"Not at all. I wasn't sleeping."

"Damn faker..."

"What was that?"

Zero looked him squarely in the eye, bringing his face close to the pureblood's.

_"I called you a faker, which is what you were doing. Is that a problem?"_

_"Not really."_ Kaname replied, sitting up.

He was feeling a lot better than he was a few hours ago. The poison was low grade, and clearly whoever had utilized it had no idea about what the hell they were doing, so it didn't last long. Although he was still a little stiff and groggy, which may have also been from the lack of sleep, Kaname had neutralized most of the toxins in his blood.

Now what weighed him down was Zero's observation. That kid was getting sharp if he could tell when he was feigning sleep. Of course admitting to it would only make him more aware of the signs, but it also instilled a sort of fun, paranoid quality in the hunter that he thought was rather... adorable.

"Nice outfit." he commented with a smirk.

"The stuff you'll have to wear is worse." Zero sneered. "This is the most normal thing in his closet that I found. Everything else has five or six different parts to the outfit that I had no idea how the hell to put on, and I wasn't about to find out."

Kaname stared at him expectantly, making the hunter shift uncomfortably under the gaze.

"What?" he asked through grit teeth.

"I need to bathe."

"I'm aware of that. Go bathe, I'm not stopping you."

"But you are." Kaname insisted. "I still can't move very well on my own. Though I heal fast, there's still a few lingering effects when it comes to toxins."

Zero's brows furrowed as he surveyed the pureblood. He had sat up on his own, it wouldn't really be a problem if he just had to escort him to the bathroom, he was strong enough to do the rest. But what if he slipped and fell, and got hurt? If he hit his head, that probably would have been the most pathetic end to a pureblood in all of history. The hunter had to smother a chuckle before it bubbled up, not quite able to stop the smirk that stretched his lips.

Kaname eyes him curiously; the boy was either giddy or insane.

"I'm glad you find great amusement in having to undress and bathe me. It makes everything easier on the both of us." he smirked in return.

Pink was quite a becoming color for Zero, as far as Kaname was concerned.

"You can bathe and undress your own damn self."

_"Why, when you were about to do it for me?"_ he reached out, using his thumb to smooth the crease between the hunter's brows, fingertips, brushing lightly over his cheeks.

Actually, red was probably more suitable against his complexion. Kaname mouth began to water at the sight of such easily pooled blood. His heart was pounding as hard as Zero's as a hunger ripped through him.

"The hell?" he growled in embarrassment, swatting away the pureblood's hand.

"I was just trying to wind my arm around you so you can help me to the bathroom." Kaname fought the urge to give a mock pout, or else Zero really might have left him to find his own way. He certainly was different to all the other vampires who kowtowed to him. "It's also troublesome not to, as I would probably wander through the house trying to find it."

"Tch." the hunter frowned.

He complied, deciding to get it over with. Grabbing one arm, Zero brought it to his shoulder, feeling Kaname curl it around him securely. His own arm came behind the pureblood, wrapping around to heft him up off of the mattress.

"The water's cold, and you'll have to do everything yourself. I'm not a nanny."

Zero dragged him to the half bathroom in the master bedroom, sitting him on the lid of the closed toilet. He pulled back the door to the shower and reached inside the small space, starting the water for Kaname. It fell heavy and cold for a moment before turning hot without going through a warming phase. The hunter withdrew his hand, scowling at the stream of water.

"Why the hell didn't that happen when I was showering..." he muttered, thinking he was going to get a head cold from the icy water he bathed in earlier.

"Because you never asked me to help." Kaname chucked, ticking the hunter off. "You can come along if you want a, hot, shower. You'll have to wash me in return though." he smirked, never getting tired of seeing that blush on Kiryuu's face.

"I'll pass, thanks." he growled, storming out of the bathroom.

He could have sworn the pureblood was pissing him off on purpose. As he rooted through Kaien's old leather wardrobe, he came across an outfit that looked both confusing and drafty in equal parts, with a thousand and one accessories necessary to the piece. If Kuran could be a smartass, so would he.

The hunter stole quietly into the steamy bathroom, pleased that Kaname had already undressed and entered. As quietly as he could, he switched the pureblood's uniform out for the leather, wrinkling his nose at the stale bloody scent, thankful for the light, fragrant amber laced within the shower steam. How the hell did that guy make things smell so nice? Shaking the thought from his mind, he turned to leave, stomach growling.

"Decided to join me?" Kaname's husky voice floated through the top of the shower.

"Like hell!" the loud retort echoed off of the tiles. "If you're still recovering then I'm going to get a few groceries. If you need help when you get out then you're shit outta luck."

He tried not to slam the door behind him as he exited, crossing over to the full bathroom to throw Kaname's uniform in the soaking water. When he stepped outside, the first thing he noticed was how cold it had gotten. It looked like he would be getting that head cold after all. Perfect. Just what he needed in order to solve a case. As if Kaname's clumsy poisoning incident wasn't enough to slow things down...

Zero decided not to dwell, since he had taken the poison to keep him from being killed, supposedly. With what little money he had kept on him, he couldn't buy much, probably just a few items.

It was odd, since he was going to be cooking for his enemy. Though with the way they had been interacting for the past couple of days, could one really call them enemies still? The question weighed heavily on his mind. As much as he tried to ignore it, something, though he didn't know what the hell to label it as, had always been there, even when... Yuuki was alive. He had always called it mutual hatred, but now, the speedy progress of... things between them were more positive than negative - a complete opposite of what was going on before.

They had known each other for years, gotten on fine on some occasions. Was Yuuki the cause of the rift between them? All their macho posturing, unspoken rivalry on the way towards her heart... Was she the reason they never eventually became friends even after he had learned to tolerate vampires? No, most likely not. It may have had to do a bit with her, but she was the one who brought him out of his shell. Without her, a lot of things would have never happened. Zero was old enough to deeply analyze the situation and realize the basic compliments of cause and effect.

So what was her death for? What good could come out of it?

And without the warmth of that pureblood, where would he be now? How would he have turned out?

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Kaname heard the front door close, meaning that Zero had left to buy food, groceries, whatever the heck he said he was going to get earlier. The pureblood chuckled. Perhaps he had been teasing the hunter too hard.

Speaking of too hard...

Sure, the pureblood had problems, but none of them were as insistent as the one growing below. He had already washed his hair and body, now was the time for relaxation.

Kaname stood with his back to the stream of water, made warm by his powers. He touched a finger to the tip of his cock, twitching in pleasure at the sensations it brought. The skin was smooth and hot, slick from the cascade behind him.

_"Mnhh..."_

He brought his fingers up, bunching them and placing them over the tip, gently separating them as he trailed his fingers along the head and down its sides. With the given environment, he could easily imagine it to be a mouth sliding along his length. Gently, he took a hold of his erection, petting, rubbing, pumping as his thumb worked expertly along the small slit along the tip.

_"Ah... Ze... haa..."_

The pureblood let his mind wander as his ministrations became more minute, rubbing along the sensitive spot on his glans to make his breathing labored. He imagined a certain silver haired hunter on his knees before him, laving his tongue over him, engulfing his sweet mouth over Kaname's swollen cock.

_"Mnn... yeah... suck it... Zero..."_

_"Kaname... mnnn"_

Damn that over active imagination of his! He thrust violently into his hand, sweat dotting his brow only to be washed away in the current of water raining overhead. He brought his left hand behind him, playing with his entrance, sticking a single finger inside, sliding it in and out.

_"Oh!"_

He hit a bundle of nerves, sending him back into the wall as his shaking legs gave weigh, making him land painfully. It only turned him on more. his rampant imagination conjuring Zero's image in his mind's eye.

_The hunter smiled as he climbed on top of Kaname, running his warm, slick hands over his chest, stinging his nipples with his fingertips. He reached down, easing Kaname into his entrance, brows knitting in pleasure, mouth slacking into a silent moan as he took the pureblood's girth into him. In a moment he adjusted and was already beginning to move up and down. The hunter's cock bounced in time with his descent, enticing Kaname's senses with his throaty moans._

_"Kaname... na.... haa... mnn... fuck... me...."_

_"I'm... so... close... ahh..."_

Kaname squirmed, arching over and over again, panting and calling for the silver haired hunter. He could feel the familiar pressure building before it would dip off into pleasure so sweet that it verged insanity.

_"Ahh... ZERO!! NGH,"_

The pureblood gave one last thrust, spurting his seed onto his hand and chest, his hole contracting around his finger, greedily trying to take all of it inside.

_"Haa... haa..."_

He spasmed in delight, sore body cramping with the force of the orgasm. His mind remained blank for a long time after he turned onto his side. Once the haze of pleasure cleared, he could easily think about things like Zero, their future, and the decision he would have to be making soon, before his beloved hunter could go insane.

Now that Yuuki was gone, Kaname's planned debut of a mate into vampire society had changed. It was either his sister or Sara back then, and he had fully intended to take his sister to the throne, had she wanted to. But no way in hell was he going to be with that psychotic bitch. there was just something... creepy about her. Off.

Kaname was the queen bee of vampire society. It never occurred to him before that he could probably change more than just the order of rule. maybe he could change much more than that. Though, he wasn't sure if Yuuki would have attracted more danger, or if Zero would.

The spray turned cold as Kaname's mind wandered into dreamless sleep.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

A car pulled up to the gates, coming to a full stop right before Kaien. He stared on as the driver came around to open the door for it's occupant, sinking into a low bow as he did so. The spiked heel of a buckle bootie touched the ground, the long leg attached to it was sheathed in stockings and a matching cream skirt that fell beneath the knee. Another bootie touched the ground as the occupant gracefully slid out of the car, her ginger hair flowing like a graceful, flaming waterfall behind her. Her dress looked incredibly expensive and feminine, hugging her curves. It was like the sort of thing Kaien was looking to get for Yuuki on her eighteenth birthday, when she became a woman.

Sara graced him with a gentle smile. He bowed his head curtly, acknowledging some respect to the pureblood. The movement was stiff, making her smile. Kaien opened the padlock, chains rattling around the wrought iron bars of the gates. He pulled one side back far enough to let her through, quickly locking up after.

Sara gave a short, amused laugh.

"Still keeping up pretenses, hm Chairman?"

"I do my best, Sara sama. Not only for the vampires of this academy, but for the humans a well."

"But of course." she conceded. "Although I often wonder how you plan on protecting our precious nobles, notwithstanding common knowledge that they can fend for themselves, but what if something were to come along that they couldn't handle, I wonder?"

"Then I will do my best to protect all of my students. My dream is not something that will die so easily. Sara-san. I have my children looking out for me."

"Indeed." Sara arched brow with her sharp reply, peering through his guise.

Kaien frowned at her, eyes betraying nothing as they made their way across the grounds, back past the moon dorm where Kaien came to a stop.

"If you're wanting to visit with the other aristocrats... Kaname-kun isn't here at the moment."

"No, that's quite alright, my sole purpose in visiting this castle of sand was to have a chat with you. In private, if you don't mind. It's about some... Important matters. You understand."

"Ahh, I do. It's rather bold of you to come at a time like this." a dark mood colored his expression.

So she wanted to discuss the incident and her fees, hmn? Kaien led her to the academy, ready to partake in the long discussion. He was glad that Zero and Kaname were on a mission, otherwise there would have been much more trouble than a simple round of twenty questions.

"Do not worry, I am clean, Chairman."

"I'm not the one who should be worried for my safety."

Sara sniffed the cool air, looking to the dim sky. The clear patch had passed, more clouds than before racing to hide the azure heavens.

"Winter has descended, and snow will soon follow suit. Once it has reached rock bottom, the only things it has left to look forward to are the crunching noises made when one walks upon it, then the melting away into oblivion. In this place, the winter is not permanent, and neither is the snow, even if preserved in an ice box. Someone could always take it out before the winter returns..."

Kaien grit his teeth.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

"Ichiru....." Yori panted.

"Does it hurt?" he asked in concern.

"It's starting to, really badly. I need...."

"Maybe it's time we go find the Chairman. You're getting worse and worse."

"I'm hoping everything's alright." Yori clutched her hand, one in the other, trying to keep her jaw as stiff and shut as possible.

"It looks like you have tetanus of something." Ichiru frowned. "Is it so unbearable? Do you need me to carry you?

"I'll be fine." she allowed. "I'm just having ah hard time adjusting with all of this stress.. I'm sure you must know what that's like though, considering all that I've learned about you."

"Well your past is unimportant to me, I even doubt that it would benefit me much If I were to get to know you. However," Ichiru took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I've never been able to ask, and given the limited choice I had, it was preferred not to." he let go and grasped one of her red hands, idly rubbing his thumb over the fading scars there. "Tell me, what's it like?"

Yori hid her face behind her other hand, trying not to pass out from pain.

"Painful. But I can endure." with a single sob, her facade broke. "Do you think Yuuki suffered when she died? It was just so violent, and..." She peeked up at him from between her fingers, bringing his hand, which was still grasped in hers, up to her face. "Really, thank you for everything.." she inhaled the lily scent from his skin. "I feel we should really, really go see the chairman right now, if you want a shot at getting your wish fulfilled. We can get Haine and Yuri to cover for us."

Ichiru nodded, carefully supporting Yori as she rose from her bed.. Very soon, he wouldn't have to play the nanny role anymore. if all those promises were true, he would be able to exact revenge on them all. It wasn't a matter of if he could go through with it, what with his hated yet beloved brother amongst their ranks, but rather a question of when and where this would take place. With a sigh, he and Yori headed out of the dorm, supporting each other along the way.

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

Short and choppy as far as those scenes go, but now you've had a **deep** peek inside of Kaname's mind. XD

**Reviews: **I would love you forever.


	9. Chapter Eight: Movement

Note update: Hunter dude with a scar has an official name! Raijin is now called "Jinmu".

**A/N:** Alas, late again, be it by just a few minutes, seeing as I intend to keep the 10 day release pattern. I could have released when I wanted to, but then I would have cut out the very last scene, and you guys wouldn't have wanted that. ;)

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

_"You're safe now. He won't hurt you anymore."_

Shiki yawned and turned over. It was still late afternoon, he could feel it, and some of the early risers would be waking up by now, but especially after how late everyone stayed up last night, he doubted that anyone would bother getting up before sunset. Still...

What had he been dreaming about before waking? He never really took a keen interest in what any of his dreams were about, if he dreamed at all, but today was different. There was a note of peace that washed through him, something that he had never felt before.

Over in the other canopy bed, Ichijou was still dozing peacefully, his blond hair in disarray over his pillows. He would need to cut it soon, Shiki noted, as he saw the tips shift and tickle his collarbones. The brunette lifted a hand to scratch his scalp, noticing how incredibly light he felt.

So that's what she meant.

Rising from his covers, Shiki quietly crossed the room, taking care to make as little noise as possible when he left the room, making a left at the end of the hall, and descending down the staircase. It didn't matter that he wasn't dressed to be going outside, his designer pajamas would have to protect him from the late afternoon sun as he wandered across the grounds, preparing to hop the gate.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Shiki heard a click and locking of metal. He turned to find Yagari pointing his single barrel shotgun at his head. The brunette frowned.

"I need to go visit the Chairman, there's something I have to confirm." he explained shortly, walking over to the shade of trees since the sunlight began to irritate his skin.

"He's in a meeting at the moment." Yagari's eyes thinned, not trusting the teen.

"Will you take a message?" Shiki raised a slender brow, sarcasm thick.

The older hunter took a long drag of his cigarette, cherry glowing a bright golden red before casually flicking the filter aside and dragging the heel of his shoe over it.

"So you have jokes, that won't get you anywhere regardless. Whatever it is that you need to talk to him about you can clear through me."

Shifting uneasily, Shiki took a moment to ponder the consequences of informing more people than he had to. The smoke that had been curling from the man's mouth dispersed into the air, vanishing with his hesitation.

"It can wait."

He turned to head back to the dorm, disappointment hiding beneath the surface of his stoic expression. There was more than enough time to burn if his hunch was correct, but somehow, he had a feeling that he would find the answer soon.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

"Have you ever tried to keep melting snow in your ice box, Chairman?" Sara asked, sipping on rose flavored tea from a soft pink teacup as she sat across from Kaien, the desk in between.

"It depends on how you perceive melting snow, Sara-san." his cup sat to his right, untouched and still steeping with the tea leaves.

The Chairman kept his hands folded before him as he sat semi-rigid in his seat, anxious of the discussion taking place on the academy grounds. Fortunately, no one would dare approach his office, as it was just too close to the crime scene for anyone's comfort. Only a select few and Yagari would seek him out if there was anything in dire need of attention, a fact that Sara was exploiting to have this conversation.

"Well it's not a very useful thing to keep around, waiting for it to turn back into ice, and even then when it solidifies, it's not the same. Surely you know enough of the world to have made such a simple observation by now. You must also know enough of biology to realize that organisms change in order to adapt to their environment, and that is how new species are formed, something physiologically different from their original ancestry."

"But you have to realize, Sara-san, that it takes several generations in order to achieve that." he said, giving her a pointed look. "By the way, I thought we were talking about snow."

"Yes, forgive me for deviating from our topic, but you must realize how troublesome it is to preserve."

"If you choose to take the snow from the cold to preserve it for whatever later purpose, then you brought the inconvenience upon yourself. You know my standpoint on the matter." Kaien looked her square in the eye, dropping all pretenses. "I've held up my end of the bargain, if you fail to uphold yours then it will only hurt you in the end."

"It may have been the warmth of my hand that made the snow melt," she began, pausing when Kaien subtly tried to hide a snort. "I could have you killed, you know." Sara's voice was dangerously thin, no longer the sweet acid it had been a moment ago. "Where will your dream go then? You don't honestly think that the vampire society would take your views to heart, do you?"

"That's the beauty of having children. They can extend my dreams far beyond what I am currently capable of doing. The one who calmed me enough to be able to sleep, was the one who allowed me to see the sense in this so called 'crazy' dream. Not to be rude, Sara-san, but she was a far greater woman than yourself." the Chairman picked up his cup to sip at the fragrant tea, savoring its sweet flavor and scent that reminded him so dearly of Juuri.

"Yes, and she's dead."

Kaien felt something long dormant stir in his chest. Never before had he wanted to break his pacifist ways more than he did at this moment in time. To do so would have been an insult to Juuri's memory, so he rationalized. Sara was feeling hurt, backed into a corner, and less than self-efficient. Deep down, she was just scared. Had Kaien changed so much to be able to find light in one of the seemingly darkest corners?

"And yet I sit here as living proof that dreams don't die with the dreamer."

Sara's eyes thinned. She had already known that Kaien wouldn't fear for his own life. Those threats were futile...

"What is it that you want? I've already falsified information on your behalf. I wouldn't doubt that the desired outcome was achieved. You know how capable hunters are, otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned anything to me."

"I know just how capable you all are, and it's a problem."

"With the current situations, I would have to agree with you."

"This shouldn't have to be like pulling fangs with you, Chairman. The original purpose of hunters were to clean up our messes in the first place. I've no idea why the maids feel that they are running the house when they only tidy it."

"In exchange for my silence and favors, you will keep everything exactly as it is."

"Snow can be as beneficial as it is burdening." she allowed with a tight lipped smile.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ichiru asked, widening the crack in the office door to lean back into the room.

"The weather." Sara and Kaien replied in unison.

"That's great and all, but we've got a problem."

He supported a weak Yori from the side as he entered the office. She looked rather pale, but otherwise fine, aside from the occasional dizzy spell. The two had on city clothes, suggesting how urgent they felt the situation was.

"Wakaba-chan, I'll be with you momentarily." Kaien said, trying to instill a note of 'not now' in his voice.

"Poor dear, are you anemic?" Sara smirked, eying her with interest.

"I suppose I am." she shrugged, instincts telling her to tread lightly.

Sara stood from the winged armchair in front of Kaien's desk, placing her half empty teacup down onto a low coffee table before smoothing the backside of her dress. She approached Yori, the heels of her booties clicking ominously with each step she took. Reaching out a gloved hand, she took the guardian's wrist, examining her red, scarred hand. The pureblood positioned her thumb strategically, pretending to check her pulse.

"You've been damaging your skin, dear, have you been scrubbing them because of the wounds you've received here?"

"Warm water helps the pain."

"Perhaps you should see a specialist?" a corner of her mouth curved up, the twisted smile making Yori nervous. "I happen to know one who would be willing to help you."

Yori looked to Kaien, who offered no advice. She turned to Ichiru in need of help in making her decision. The answer was clear in his cold, violet eyes.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Zero came back to the apartment after nearly an hour of dodging questions about his clothes, finding cheap prices, and avoiding the disgusting bloody stench coming from down the street.

After starting on the ramen soup, Zero decided to go check on Kaname while it boiled, since he still heard the water running through the pipes in the walls.

The first thing he noticed when he entered the bathroom, was how drastically different the temperature was from the last time he had set foot in the room. The second thing he noticed was the sound of the falling water from the shower splashing when it reached the floor, instead of bounding against the tile.

He went forth to investigate, knocking on the shower door.

"Kuran?"

There wasn't a response, even though his amber scent still lingered in the bathroom. He opened the door, peeking inside, surprised to confirm that his original fear may have been valid, though it wasn't at all funny as he originally thought it might have been. He was laying on his side, beneath the cold spray, laying over most of the drain so only a little water could drain at a time. He was laying in a small pool of icy water, sort of pale.

"Kaname!!"

Zero climbed in, not caring if he got wet. He pulled the pureblood up from the floor and turned off the water, examining his airways for blockage or any signs of drowning. He felt himself mentally panicking for a moment when he realized Kaname wasn't breathing, heart squeezing tightly, stomach filling with lead.

"Oi, wake up!"

Kaname's brows knit as he turned his head, inhaling suddenly, exhaling once more before he fell into not breathing again. Zero tapped his face with his fingers a few times, preparing to perform CPR before the pureblood again repeated the breathing pattern.

He was only asleep.

Zero fought off his blush in anger, belatedly realizing that most people took less breaths when asleep. The wonky pauses may have been one of the lingering effects from the poison that Kaname had been talking about earlier.

_"You finally said my name..."_ Kaname murmured as he stirred, blinking up sleepily at Zero. "It's about time."

Zero frowned, at the warm and fuzzy feeling blooming within his chest, choosing not to say a word as he silently dressed and dried the pureblood, taking angry pity on the exhausted vampire. He tried to be as respectful as possible, a first coming from him to Kuran, as he clothed his lower half, avoiding touching him any more than necessary. Still, he decided to place all of the accessories on him anyway, making him look ridiculous, in his opinion. Zero tried his hardest not to think 'ridiculously hot' at the amount of skin he was showing.

Kaname woke up enough to cooperate, still groggy as the hunter slapped leather cuffs on his wrists, noting with shock that what he thought were cuts, were actually healing bite marks. Had Kaname been so starved that he resorted to trying to draw blood from himself? There were two sets, one more healed than the other. Zero knew that he must have been craving blood for some time if his healing powers had gone so slowly. For a pureblood, it was pretty bad.

Still less than happy with him, the hunter drug him into the small kitchen, where he perked up at once when he smelled the food. He turned a chair around to sit on it, his chest pressing against its back, legs straddling the seat. It felt good to not have to be so formal with the hunter, though he didn't think he would be able to get so casual with the night class.

Zero filled a bowl with the soup as he heard a noise behind him.

"Ahh." the pureblood opened his mouth expectantly, like a child waiting to be fed.

"Excuse me?" Zero asked, browns knitting.

"You cuffed me, how can I feed myself?"

With a sigh, Zero employed a favorite expression to this situation, one that he had been using an awful lot lately - why the hell not? He scavenged a pair of chopsticks and cleaned them, before approaching him.

"Such an upset face you're making." Kaname commented as he opened his mouth wider.

Zero shoved the warm mound of ramen noodles into the pureblood's mouth, not particularly careful to avoid jabbing the chopsticks forcibly against his tongue. It was rather uncomfortable, and Kaname thought better of trying to tease or take advantage of him when he realized just how annoying the feeding was going to be. He didn't bother to chew, swallowing to clear his mouth to try and reason with the hunter.

"Nevermind, I may be stiff, but I can feed myself, you really don't have to - mnff!"

"Now now," Zero smirked, shoving another bit of noodles into his mouth. "You must be worse off than I thought if I had to pull you out of the shower, dry you off, _and_ dress you. It's clear that you need my help, and I am here for you. And remember, you asked for it!" he finished in a falsely cheery voice.

Was Kaname messed up for liking the fact that he was being choked by Zero, who was feeding him the food he made? The hunter felt rather cynical for having to tend to him like a servant, and had used the accessory leather cuffs to bind his wrists together, the pureblood's temporarily weak muscles working in his favor.

"It tastes weird." Kaname pouted as he finished the new mouthful. "You overcooked it."

"Go to hell, I'm not here to please you. Be grateful I even made you something." Zero commented, looking down into the bowl.

Taking a gob between the sticks, he brought the food to his lips, sampling the dish. It was just as he thought, there wasn't anything wrong with it. The noodle was perfectly cooked along with the bits of egg and vegetables.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he took another bite, still hungry since he had opted to feed Kuran first. "It tastes just fine."

"I know, I lied." the pureblood smirked.

"Why would you lie about something... like..." Zero's brow furrowed in frustration as he again fed Kaname, who bit down on the chopsticks, closing his eyes like he was tasting something wonderful. "that..." he tried to pull them from his lips, feeling his tongue lave the wood on the other end...

They had both just shared an indirect kiss.

The hunter's eyes widened at the revelation, Kaname peeked up through his damp bangs, grinning, knowing he had been found out. His heart gave a delightful little flutter.

Blood rushed once again to the hunter's cheeks, bringing with it a steady anger, and embarrassment for being fooled so easily. He freed the chopsticks from the pureblood, placing them on a nearby counter. Zero brought his fingers up to caress Kaname's face before digging their tips into his cheeks, hallowing them out, squelching his lips apart. He picked up an entire boiled egg from the dish.

"You must be _very_ hungry if you're gnawing on the chopsticks." he shoved the egg into his mouth, covering lips with his palm. "Have an egg, it's good for your eyesight, and skin. In fact, have some more noodles, and sauce." Zero picked up the bowl, nearly upending it into Kaname's face. "and vegetables, after all, you did say that you were lying about not liking my cooking, am I right?"

"Zer-mnngh!"

The landslide of noodles and sides nearly suffocated him, there, sitting with his wrists bonded together. It was a great turn on. Kaname reached up, grabbing the bowl, snapping apart the leather bonds. He was feeling rather refreshed after his short nap, and most of his strength had returned since the soothing hot shower.

"Be careful, don't dish out what you can't take back." he set the bowl on the counter, seizing Zero's wrists. "Do you like making messes?"

Kaname had sauce running down the sides of his face, trickling down his chin, sending Zero's thoughts into the gutter.

"Not really." he said, silver brows furrowing. "Let go of me." he added for good measure.

The pureblood studied Zero's face, eyes drifting over every curve of skin and angle of bones. His tongue darted out to lick his own lips, tasting the ramen that was specially made for him. He let go with a sigh, turning to the sink to wash his hands and face. He picked up a small hand towel and wet it before sprinkling table salt over it so he could clean his teeth. There weren't any toothbrushes in the bathroom, and vampires had to take very good care of their fangs. He rinsed his mouth out a few times until the only flavor in his mouth was his own, and the lingering memory of Zero's.

The sun was in the midst of setting, and though now was the time he should have been freshly woken and dressed for class, Kaname was ready to go to back to sleep.

Since he had been poisoned, he had no intention of returning to Cross Academy at less than one hundred percent. It was an image problem he had, not wanting to appear weak in front of the others, in which he wanted to cover up with a mask. Again, for the umpteenth time, he wished he could be more honest, to wear his heart on his sleeve like Zero did. The hunter may have attributed that to his own weaknesses, but Kaname saw it as a great strength to be who you were.

Now if only his position allowed him the breathing room to accomplish that courageous feat.

Zero watched the pureblood tidy himself up, expecting an attack, or at the very least a snide remark, but Kaname seemed lost within his own thoughts as he cleaned his teeth and splashed the cool water over his face, resurfacing with a tired expression, seemingly aging in that moment. Kaname inclined his head towards the hunter, giving him a sidelong glance as he stay leaned over the sink. A few moments passed by, before he finally broke the silence.

"I'm going to bed. Do what you like, go to bed as well, head back to the Academy, just let me know before you decide to leave."

"Un." Zero relaxed, feeling slightly crestfallen.

It was odd that he would feel disappointed. Yes he had been expecting something, but not anything quite as tame as what had just transpired. Had he really grown that fond, that expectant of their usual aggressive, argumentative banter? Was Kaname putting on a show again? Was he really sick, and just didn't let him know? Could purebloods even get sick?

Kaname shuffled into the dim bedroom, nearly collapsing on the sheets before he got a whiff of the lingering scent of stale blood. It was from the same source as all of the other stale bloods, and smelled extremely familiar. The rotting stench put a stint on his ability to place where it may have originated from.

With a sigh, the pureblood gathered the sheets in a bundle, grabbing them by the corners so he wouldn't get the muss on his fingers. He opened the window to toss them out, Kaname's eyes lighting up, the blankets' ashes blew away in the wind.

Kaname closed the window after a minute, the scent already ceasing with its source gone. Drawing the curtains to a close, he flopped onto the soft mattress, burying his face into the pillow before drifting off with the door ajar, lest Zero needed to speak with him.

The hunter watched, concerned and a bit worried, as Kaname trudged through the room, burning his sheets, lacking in his usual pureblood grace...

Whatever. It wasn't any of his business. He would just... check on the soaking garments in the bathroom.

The stains had come out completely by now, as far as Zero could see. For a moment he pondered the irony of a vampire wanting to get bloodstains out of their clothes, shaking his head at how ridiculous the situation sounded.

He drained the tub, carefully rinsing both garments before wringing them out and placing them near the air vent. A linen closet sat next to the vent, a perfect excuse to check on Kaname.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

"Young lady, could you kindly tell the Association President what had happened with Kiryuu in the abandoned district?" the scarred man asked Chii as he cleaned her wound with antiseptic and placed a bandage over it.

"Chii, sir."

"Jinmu, Chii-san."

"Please take care of me." she smiled tonguing her lip ring, making Jinmu feel pleasant in an awkward manner as his hands worked against her skin.

"Of course."

"Thank you for waiting, Chii-san. I am the President of the Hunter's Association." a smooth voice carried into the room, followed by an effeminate man in a heavy kimono, holding up a fan to hide half of his face, silver hair was twisted up and arranged delicately with pins to hold it in place. "Recount for me what went on in that abandoned district, would you? I need to know two things, who bit you, and are they still alive?"

"A vampire with silver hair, I was told his name is Zero, that he is also a hunter, and I'm pretty sure he's still around."

"Kiryuu hmm? Is this true Jinmu-san?" he arched a brow expectantly, as if unsurprised by the information. "It was only a matter of time..."

"Yes, my thoughts exactly."

"Are you questioning my judgment?" his already thin eyes narrowed dangerously into slits, staring him down.

"N-no. Forgive me, I didn't stop to think how it sounded before I said it."

"Although, it was something we should have seen coming. He's finally losing his senses, dropping into that loathsome level E."

"What's our course of action, sir?"

"No need to add him to the execution lists. We will be able to handle this personally."

Chii shrank back in her chair at the acid in the President's voice.

"Young lady, wait in this safe room until someone comes for you."

She nodded, not quite trusting her voice enough to respond. The President seemed satisfied and left, beckoning Jinmu to follow.

"I think it's time we paid our dear friend Cross-san a visit." he said in a melodious tone, snapping his fan shut. "His dangerous gamble has been going on for far too long."

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

It wasn't often that Kaname dreamed -- he hadn't done so earlier, after all. Then again, it wasn't often that Kaname lowered his defenses around another person. Yuuki, occasionally his mother and father, those were the only people he had even remotely been able to relax around. Why would he be so trusting now, of all times, when he could be... murdered... just as violently as his sister had? Given how much he knew about the death, there wasn't much to worry about, but still...

_Zero was holding up a pink flamingo by it's feet, brandishing it like a weapon. The bird's whole body was stiff, and, despite how Kaname would have thought otherwise, the bird was very much alive, opting out rigor mortis as the cause to the strange behavior._

_"Are you ready to taste the blade of my sword, cowardly demon?!"_

_"... What?" Kaname was beginning to draw a blank. _

_They were surrounded by trees, in a forest, possibly, until the scene shifted, and they were inside of a glass dome, standing on soft sand as a steady trickle of it came from the ceiling. A girl in a Victorian style dress stood near the glass wall, her long, dark hair flowing behind her without wind. She turned slowly, gracefully, until her chocolate irises met with his rusty sienna, melting and morphing the dream once again into something different. Kaname closed his eyes to the dark and dreary mansion that was forming before him, trying to block out all thought._

_"Stop the world, I want to get off." he muttered with a sigh._

Opening his eyes, he stared into the dim room, seeing a pair of legs come closer. The hunter's scent hit Kaname instantaneously, sending a calming effect through him, relaxing his body.

"If you can get sick, then you're going to catch a cold like this. Though I suppose it's all my fault."

Kaname heard a fluttering of cloth before feeling a soft weight settle over him, a blanket. He saw Zero bend down to peer at him, the stiff pink flamingo gone from his grasp. Maybe he had realized what a stupid weapon it was, and discarded it? Then again, dreams didn't have to make sense.

They didn't have to make sense.

Kaname reached out to catch Zero's wrist as he turned to leave.

"Kuran?"

The pureblood jerked him down on top of himself. Zero fought to steady himself against the uneven mass, confused.

"The hell are you doing?"

_"This."_

Kaname stroked his face gently, fingertips memorizing the planes of Zero's face, by touch like he had done so earlier with sight. He delighted in the flawless texture of the hunter's skin, how he didn't have any bumps of acne or any rough hair around his mouth or chin. Slowly, he guided Zero to himself, craving sin as he wrapped an arm around the dazed hunter's waist.

Kaname was dreaming, so this wouldn't have any consequences.

Right?

Their breath collided, as Zero's mind raced, desire stirring beneath his belt, heart hammering in his ears.

Entranced in the dark, they closed their eyes, feeling the magnetic pull between them closing the gap. The hunter clutched Kaname's shoulders. Was this wrong? Too fast? Why was this happening? Was it merely a game? Was he going to get his heart broken in the end?

At the last question, he realized that he was already lost to the deeper feelings beneath the flurry of teenage hormones.

And sweetly, softly, like a fallen angel's song, singing wordlessly with deep notes of beauty and splendor -

_"Zero..."  
"Kaname..."_

With an exchanged whisper of names, their warm lips met.

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

**A/N:** If anyone can understand what's happening by the contents of this chapter, then I will write a oneshot for you. ;)

**Reviews:** Please and thank you, I will love you forever.


	10. Chapter Nine: Doki Doki

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

_A Prince and a Pauper  
The 'Pure' and 'Tainted'  
A Vampire and a Hunter  
_

_Tonight for the first time we had Sinned  
Together  
Surely  
Unthinkably  
_

_We are the reason behind the iron bars  
The clipped wings  
And the salty scent of tears upon their lashes_

_Surely  
We will pay dearly for this sin.  
But until then_

_P l e a s e h o l d m e t i g h t l y . . ._

_._

_._

_._

_Chapter Nine_

_D o . . .  
. . . k i  
. . . . . . . . . D o  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . k i  
_

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

A searching hand entwined into dark strands of hair, caressing Kaname's scalp with his fingertips. Zero couldn't stop the flood of emotions from overwhelming his fluttering heart. Logic and romance didn't keep good company, so for once, Zero tried not to think, and simply felt. _**  
**_

Within the confines of a lucid dream was where Kaname sought solace from the loneliness, where he would have the courage to pursue his desires, no matter how dark they could become. Right now, his greatest desire of all was pure and innocent, in wanting to claim the hunter's sweet lips. Were he to gain enough courage to do this in real life, he might have never let Zero go. They could have stayed embraced for all eternity if he was allowed, it would be good enough for him. It would be more than he could have ever hoped for.

Kaname's arm held him close, hand moving along the small of his back, gently massaging Zero's muscles beneath the skin exposed by the short top. Zero sighed blissfully into the kiss, content within his nonthinking stupor. The pureblood's ministrations felt wondrous against his back, liquid fire dripping into his core, soothing his stressed body.

Zero ran his other hand along the pureblood's side, its warmth leaving a trail over Kaname's skin. Their lush lips moved together as they continued to exchange body heat, warming the room, filling it with their mingling scents, creating a new fragrance amidst the pheromones floating around that was as potent as blood.

The pounding in their ears didn't block out the little sighs and hums of content. Kaname, and Zero especially could feel each others' strong heartbeat thumping in time with their own. With their chests pressed together, it felt as if they had two hearts.

It was in that moment Zero formed a theory, since he couldn't completely turn off the logic in himself. Back in the sun dorms, Kaname's actions and the unique connection they had shared from then on was all on purpose. _That_ was where all the unfamiliar feelings came from, though he couldn't understand the cause of all that guilt he had been feeling, and the tranquility of the present that was quickly changing from sweet to fiery.

The hunter sought out more than he was getting from the unaware pureblood. Zero licked Kaname's bottom lip wetly, acting more confident than he felt, delighted when Kaname mimicked the gesture before shyly opening his mouth, allowing Zero entrance. They savored the flavor of their partner's kiss, seductive like in taste and scent. As Kaname realized that Zero had made a dominant move, he felt bolder, more willing to venture forth and assert _his_ dominant role to the cute hunter on top of him.

A soft, playful growl escaped the pureblood's throat as he grabbed Zero's wrists and rolled over on the small bed, effectively pinning him to the mattress. The hunter gave a gentle yelp of surprise that was drowned in the plethora of steamy kisses, lost to the sensations of Kaname plundering his mouth. Their tongues wrestled for dominance, laving and curling around each other in a sweet, sinuous dance. All too soon did they run out of air and have to part, a string of saliva stretching between them, a little smeared along their mouths.

Holy hell Kaname had to dream more often!

_"... Kaname... I... want..."_ Zero didn't know how to continue what exactly did he want?

_"Zero, I **need**__..."_ Kaname couldn't voice it out loud.

They gazed longingly into each others' eyes in the dark, searching one another for the slightest hint of rebuke. A silently whispered desire was like a thread, connecting their hearts, and their lips met once more, melting together.

A darker desire was being drawn out of Kaname the longer they stayed like that, the desire to possess and smother Zero, to love him until he was no more.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

"I think it's best that I see the specialist." Yori admitted, though scared.

She sat off to the side of the room, hands clasped together, rubbing, chafing. She wished she could run and wash the blood off of them again, even though she knew perfectly well that there wasn't any there, she wanted to try again to wash the memory from her mind. She had requested to talk to Zero earlier, but was told that he was out, not that his twin wasn't sufficient enough company, but she needed someone to relate to at the moment. Ichiru was all too eager to be granted his wish, he didn't care who it came from, which was why he was catering to the pureblood in that moment.

"More tea?" he asked, holding up the hot metal teapot.

"No thank you." Sara said, resuming her seat across from the Chairman. "You know, I came here to chat on a bit more than the weather. I hear that the maids are out walking the dogs, or rather, the dogs are walking them."

"I thought that all of the 'dogs' were dead by now." Kaien frowned, bringing the tips of his fingers together.

"That was what I assumed as well, until I visited the kennel on the way here. It seems that they split their little pack up." she scoffed, taking a sip of her tea. "You probably wouldn't be surprised by their relationship."

"Not at all, it's something I had come to expect." Kaien sighed.

"You know what you'll have to do once everything is gone, you have no choice in the matter if you want to protect your little ideology."

"I do."

"You two must love to talk about trivial things." Ichiru muttered, pouring Yori a cup of tea, who vehemently refused.

"You, you must know what we are, right? Of course you do, what was I thinking, stating such a thing." Sara asked Yori, tinkling laugh sending chills up the girl's spine. "Both of you must know what dwells within the academy walls by now. We are likened to Gods, well, my kind anyways. Did you know that humans used to offer us periodic sacrifices in order to keep us at bay?"

Yori blinked, thinking about the hundreds who were probably betrayed by their kin to save their own selves.

"You have lived in such a privileged world, to not know anything, to define your bliss by ignorance, but the world is coming around again, and this time you will be apart of the knowledge."

Yori nodded, accepting her dual destiny, for now.

"So how long do you think they'll be?" Kaien asked, mentally preparing himself.

"Within the next four hours. They'll want everyone to be awake to take witness of what happens when they are opposed, plus they're sure that the aristocrats won't stand up to them, even if some of them might side with Kaname."

That didn't give Kaien much time. He had to warn the day class, herd them to safety, warn the night class, send someone out to find Kaname and Zero if the situation looked severe... The way Sara had gathered herself made Kaien sure that she wasn't going to stay, and after all, it would have been foolish to expect such a thing. Why on Earth would she stay and dirty her hands when a 'maid' could do it for her.

"I'll have to work quickly," he admitted, rubbing his temples.

"I could always take these two along with me." she nodded to Yori and Ichiru. "What do you say?"

Kaien looked from Yori's pale complexion to Ichiru's pleading look with a sigh.

"Alright, I'll catch up soon."

"Excellent." Sara smirked, inclining her head some. "Come along children.'

"I'll meet you there." Kaien said, unmoving from his desk.

"Don't worry about anything else, just do as your told and everything will be fine."

"I could say the same for you." he didn't look at her she clicked her fingers for the two to follow.

"Sara...sama, where are we going?" Yori asked shyly, wondering if such an honorific was expected of her.

"To see that specialist about your hand. You'll feel better after the visit."

"Sara-sama, when-"

"Patience Ichiru. You have your orders, you should honor them."

Ichiru frowned, setting everything down before approaching Yori, helping her hobble out to the grounds. They were led by Sara and followed by the Chairman, who unlocked the gate with the only key needed on campus, allowing them to exit and load into the car. The pureblood shut the door, lowering the window to peek back out at Kaien.

"Do hurry Chairman, the snow will thrive soon, until the vernal equinox melts it all away."

_"ღ*~+~*ღ"_

Those damn vampire kids. Just because they were the equivalent of aristocrats in their world they thought they had special privileges and rights to everything. Kaien needed to keep a tighter watch on them, especially now that their leader was absent.

Their leader, Kuran...

A vampire who gently embraced a human could not have been up to any good. Now that the human he had been targeting for one reason or another was dead, what was his next move? She couldn't have been anything special to him past the need or notion of food, that's all humans were to these vile beasts, as far as he was concerned. A highly intellectual food source that could provide them with entertainment in the right setting. Perhaps that's what she was doing...

Had Kuran killed that girl? Surely he wasn't stupid enough to do such a thing. Yet his credentials would have been more than enough to be easily forgiven by anyone supporting Kaien's foolish views in vampire society.

She and Zero seemed to have a close bond. Yagari could see the turmoil that seeped into his apprentice's eyes, how distraught he had been. He was sure it wouldn't take much to make him snap. Would he finally have to eliminate his own student, who would be driven off the edge of insanity? Yagari almost felt bad for the pureblood, _almost_, as if Zero were to snap with him around, he would be taken down as well. Without question. Without mercy. And he would suffer greatly.

A rustle of leaves from a nearby tree had him drawing his shotgun, firing a single shell into whatever was about to lunge out at him. Touga waited for the resulting thud, or shatter, depending on if he hit a head, heart or other body part. When none came, he hesitantly approached the base of the tree. There was no vampire presence around the immediate area, a peculiar thing for what he had been feeling just moments before. Perhaps he was hallucinating from a lack of sleep?

Perhaps not. Blood coated the base of the tree, meaning he had hit something. Maybe it had retreated in fear. One could only wonder. A glint of ivory caught the corner of his eye, bringing his undivided attention to the pool on the grass. He picked the lump up between his gloved fingers, turning it over in the fading light. What the hell was a memory charm doing in a place like this?

"Touga! I heard gunshots, what happened?" Kaien came running to him, looking concerned and thoroughly exhausted at the same time. "Who-"

He paled at the sight of the small fang between his friend's fingers.

"Something tried to attack me, so I shot at it. I don't think I got it though." he frowned. "What's eatin' you?"

"Nothing. May I?"

The fang passed from glove to glove, Kaien inspecting it carefully.

"We need to round up the day class and get them to a safe place." he said finally, pocketing the fang. "Could you begin the proceedings while I talk to the night class?"

Touga wasn't going to question the orders he'd been given, yet he was curious.

"What's going on?"

"The Association and half the Council are coming after us, Zero rather. But since he isn't here, I wouldn't put it past them to wait around. Lock the padlock on your way out."

Kaien needed to finish this as quickly and quietly as possible. The Association would most likely need reforming once this confrontation was over, and Kaien would take it as an advantage to slip out and accomplish the menial tasks given to him by Sara. Of course he could refuse, but if something were to be slipped to anyone, then that woman's wish would not be realized. And of course, if the truth got out about that, then he might lose Zero, and the pureblood that loved him as well.

Yes, he _could_ tell.

And Kaien's life would then be meaningless.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

"Resources tell me that Cross-san has been trying to cover up a death within the Academy walls from the Association. We're going to investigate on our own, but just in case the rumors are true, you'll be leading a small group. If he shows resistance, then we will warrant his arrest."

Jinmu* and the President entered a back room in the Association, close to the library where important documents sat, torn, flayed, a dark, dried sienna coating of blood soaking most of them through. In that room was all at once history and evidence of past hunters' accomplishments and downfalls.

"Resources? Did they provide any evidence to back up their claims? Accusing Cross-san of anything, of all people... Even if his set up is dangerous."

"That witch of a woman enchanted him with her wiles I'm afraid. She convinced him to give up hunting, I wouldn't be surprised that he completely went over to their side, protecting those vampire children as if they wouldn't turn into deadly, carnivorous beasts at the first whiff of bloodshed." the President walked over to a small wooden box, running his fingers along the glass top before picking it up to show to Jinmu.

With a single finger, he slid open the lid, turning the bit of black cloth over to reveal a white tag that was soaked with blood. Since it was in an airtight container, it was still a tad damp, despite the elapsed time. The President wiped his finger along the inside of his sleeve absentmindedly, pointing to where it said 'Cross Academy' in the stitching, along with washing directions, and the materials used to make the cloth.

"Seriously? Where did you get the evidence? Yagari-san? Kiryuu-kun?"

"You're forgetting your place amidst your excitement." the President hissed lethally, scaring Jinmu straight.

"Y-yes sir, sorry, forgive me! May I ask about our plan for Kiryuu-kun?"

"We don't need a plan. If he's disobedient and refuses to come quietly, we will detain him until I have time to issue an assessment of his sanity. If he gets too out of control upon capture or fails the assessment, then no one should hesitate in getting rid of him."

"Getting rid of him? Just kill off Kiryuu-kun like that?" Jinmu was surprised that the order was issued so easily.

Sure, he wasn't too fond of Kiryuu, he was a vampire after all, but he was a hunter too, a proficient one who seemed as sane as himself only a little more than a week ago.

"Fuu, it's not a crime to get rid of a vampire. Things that have outgrown their use should be eliminated before things get out of hand." he smirked in amusement.

"I'll have to agree with you there."

"You have no choice. Gather three of the most reliable in the Association and meet me at the entrance. We'll be leaving shortly."

With a short bow, Jinmu ran off. The President tucked the small wooden box into a metal evidence locker before leaving the room, smug at the prospect of confining Kaien and his influence over human relations in vampire society.

The moment he walked out of the room, the evidence and its container spontaneously combusted, burning up the cloth and any traces of its existence, not even leaving ashes or a pool of molten glass as it was erased from the world.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

_Please let this be a dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Please, let this not be a dream._

Kaname's kisses became needy as his hand pinned Zero's wrists above his head, the other playing with the zipper of his vest, skimming his fingers over whatever of his chest was exposed. He straddled the squirming hunter, lips moving along his jaw, tongue tracing along his earlobe, nipping it gently with his fang before trailing feather-light kisses down his neck, along the strong pulse thundering beneath the soft skin.

Zero let out a breathy laugh, feeling so lighthearted in that moment, being teased by Kaname. His kisses tickled, making Zero squirm even more, brushing their leather-clad bodies together.

The pureblood nipped and kissed down to Zero's collarbones, sucking on them lightly. Kaname could hear him panting, the edge of a moan in his voice.

A dark thought poisoned his mind as well, different from Kaname's. What if he was being used? His mind would have made up any excuse to bring logic into this nonsensical event.

Things were going too fast.

_"...__Ka...name..."_

There was too much contact.

_"Kaname... wait..."_

He could lose everything again.

"Kaname!" Zero tensed, rejecting the sweetness of sin that filled him with contentedness.

It was a trap, he was sure. He would once again feel such gentle things that twice contributed to his emotional downfalls, and now he was walking the same path once more.

But it was different. Some small part of him that refused to die, the part of Zero that cupped the last remaining fragment of hope within him stirred. Figuratively, that fragment, that light, was his frozen heart. He could feel the ice warming from the center of the icy cast. The slow breath of life it took began what could have been disastrous things.

_- D o . . . -  
- . . . k i -  
- . . . . . . . . . D o -  
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . k i -_

_"Please, don't make me.... you..." _Zero whispered in agony.

_"Make you what?"_ Kaname whispered.

The hunter didn't know exactly what he didn't want, or if he really didn't want it.

_"Please wait..." _he looked up into Kaname's rust colored eyes, reminded of iron, of blood, but of also sweet chocolate.

Yes, that sweet sin was not something he should have been allowed to take part in. Those eyes made him hunger, crave the pureblood's soft, warm lips and gentle caresses. Kaname stared back down at him, their eyes glazed in the heat of the moment. He calmed enough to press a shaky kiss to the quivering hunter's forehead, nuzzling his ear before whispering huskily once more.

_"As long as you aren't telling me to stop."_

_"ღ*~+~*ღ"_

Neither of them knew when it happened, but as Zero woke nearly an hour later, his attention was drawn by a very heavy, very intimately positioned pureblood, face still buried in the crook of his neck.

Warmth flushed his face in the dark, more than the pureblood was giving off as he lay content, peacefully dozing. The room still smelled of their mingled scents, though nothing really had transpired. He tried to move, wrists still pinned above his head, body trapped beneath him, a hand still clutched possessively over his chest, his heart.

_"Shhhhhh........"_

His racing heart brought about signs of life in Kaname, who tried to shush him in a soothing manner, fingers rubbing absentmindedly, nuzzling deeper to provide comfort.

Zero didn't know what the hell to think. He tried to move again, to escape from the pureblood's grasp so he could try and escape to another room to either have a panic attack, or pretend like nothing ever happened.

_"Grrrrnnnnn...."_

A low growl tore from Kaname's throat as his grip on the hunter's wrists tightened. His fingers pinched his nipple while he burrowed closer. Zero let out a breathy gasp from the sensations when a mouth latched onto the side of his neck, fangs scraping gently over the site where he was last bitten by any pureblood. The spot was rather sensitive now, the pain it always used to cause him melted away with a soft purple glow beneath Kaname's lips. Zero must have been healed unconsciously by the pureblood, much like that time he had kissed Yuuki's wound at Ichijou's party, eliminating it instantaneously.

The scene replayed in his mind of how gentle he had been, how jealous Zero was in that moment before the memory melted and melded into another. A similar edge in the memory of Kaname's voice.

_"She seems to hold an awful lot of your attention."_

Hypocrite.

_"Too much, I don't like you near her."_

Zero's brows knit together, finally gaining an inkling of what he might have meant. The hunter turned his head to the side to place a chaste kiss on Kaname's cheek.

"You too." he muttered, finally managing to dislodge himself from the clingy pureblood.

_"Mnnnh...."_

The sleepy whine came from the bed when Zero had passed the door frame, intending to sleep in another room. He turned back to find Kaname sitting up running a hand through his hair until he looked up, sexy and sleep disheveled.

"What is it that you want?" he frowned.

He couldn't have been serious. Was he sleeping that entire time? Zero could feel another flush grace his cheeks that had more to do with hurt than shyness. He said the first thing that came to mind and stuck with it.

"We're going back to the Academy now." he growled.

Kaname gave him a reproachful look, wondering what the hell was eating at the hunter.

"Then let's go." he bit back, watching Zero scowl before disappearing to retrieve their uniforms.

Was it all real?

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

**A/N:*** The hunter with a scar now has an official canon name - Jinmu

Raijin, Jinmu, for some reason he looked like he would have 'jin' in his name to me. XDD

Oh well, I really didn't want to have to put an author's note in this chapter, but it looks like I'll have to. =_= Since with ch.55's revelation of Jinmu's name.

**Review: **I would love you forever. I really enjoy getting and reading them all, it's such an encouragement to know that I can make people smile, or feel certain ways because of my writing that they had so graciously taken the time out to read. Thank you to everyone, old, new, and those who come back now and then for supporting me. Names will be mentioned next chapter because I want it to be in the beginning, because that's what writing starts with, the desire to tell _someone_ a story.

* * *


	11. Chapter Ten: Melt Away

**A/N:** Thanks so much to all who have reviewed and added this story to their favorites and alerts! New, old, I'm very appreciative.

Quite a few recurring review people I would like to specifically bestow my gratitude upon are - **DarkenedDeathAngel, Nikotehfox, Lenko **(again XD) **aquastreak243, ButterflySparkle, Eyes17k** as the good ol' reliable crew.

The every so/fairly often crew, **Jiggary, Koreto-chan, Ebony-Knight, Seriyuu.**

Thanks also to **Hester Golem, aisha4senru, Hanamaru** as newer crew of reviewers to give repeated feedback.

I look forward to each and every review I get, and it makes me smile to see your names popping up again and again. It's very encouraging! ^^ And as promised, my reviewers all have my undying love, even those I haven't mentioned.

It's the tenth chapter celebration! This calls for some fluffy warm and fuzzies! Enjoy ~

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

"Haine-kun! Yuri-chan!" Touga had perched on the top of the wall near the gate to the sun dorm, since he didn't have a key to the padlock.

The new guardians came at his call, weapons at the ready.

"What's wrong?" Haine asked, alarmed at the urgency in his voice.

"We're going to have to move the day class, every single person to a more secure location. I'm going to need your help, Ichiru-kun and Yori-chan also. Where are they?"

"They went to the Chairman's office earlier." Yuri coughed.

It had been getting colder since the afternoon, much colder. With the clouds moving in so rapidly, the setting sun had been concealed, casting them into an artificial night that would be real all too soon, and with that would come ice.

Haine pat her back gently through her layered coat. They would never criticize prefects of the academy again. Having to keep awake on a nearly constant basis was a difficult feat. Were classes resumed, they probably would have been snoozing in their seats as well.

"Then we don't need to worry about those two. Clear out the dorms into the living area. Tell everyone to leave everything in their room but a coat and come quickly, quietly, and not to make a scene. There's an emergency and we need their cooperation and silence."

"Does it have to do with the killer?" Haine asked with wide eyes.

"Something along those lines."

"You can count on us." he nodded, gesturing to Yuri to head back to the dorm.

"Are you coming with us?" she asked.

Touga frowned at the gates, thinking he needed to retrieve the key from the Chairman if they were to escape.

"I'll catch up in a minute, I have to get a key from-"

"Touga Yagari-san, number one active duty hunter in the Association, it's been a while." the Association President approached them from afar side wall.

He had just gotten into the gate from another entry point.

"Have you been-ARGH!"

His words were cut short when a skillet made contact with his skull, the sturdy metal singing and resonating as the day class president fiercely bludgeoned him.

"That'll teach you to sneak inside and mess with us!" he laughed, pushing up his glasses.

Touga watched in horror as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Where the hell had that kid come from?

"No need to thank me! While you guys were chatting, I decided to take the initiative and keep a watch of my own! Cross-chan's death has really opened my eyes to the dangers we can still face, even in an academy. It was pretty life-changing actually, I feel like I want to be more responsible in my fellow classmates-"

"You damn idiot! That was the head of the Hunter's Association!" Touga growled running to the man, though he had to give the kid credit for having the balls to do what he did. "If you want to be useful then go round up the day class and relay my message!"

"Ingrate." he muttered with a frown, still rather proud of himself as he marched off.

"What do you know, our class prez meets your prez, what a welcome." Haine murmured heading over to help.

Something was off about the President. Touga had no idea what as he tried to move his unconscious body, but he knew he had to get him to Kaien and find out where the other hunters were.

_"ღ*~+~*ღ"_

_"You called me?" a little girl asked, keeping her head bowed._

_The Association President looked down to the child, noticing a droplet of blood on the chest of her dress. Was she the child of their servants?_

_"You, child, where is this?" he asked, looking around in the white expanse._

_"...."_

_"Answer when you're spoken to!"_

_"......"_

_She peeked up through her long, dark hair, chocolate brown eyes bleeding into crimson orbs._

_"I don't like your tone..." she whispered, grinning, fangs glinting white.  
_

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

"I don't know why you're still so weak, you should be getting stronger by now." Ichiru frowned, keeping close to Yori lest she needed to be helped further

"You're scared, ne? Relax and the pains will ease with time. You are a 'precious friend', and that alone is enough to save you." Sara leered. "Would you rather me assist you? I can't guarantee your safety if you get treated by this specialist. With so many new sights, sounds, smells, with the new sensations and the tedious task of healing, you'll most likely be killed."

"Maybe so, but if there's anything I can do to help, then I will gladly risk my life to ease that painful burden." Yori said, squaring her shoulders through the pain.

The three walked through Sara's elaborate mansion, winding through the lavish corridors, passing different doors, all of which were closed and locked. Ichiru was sure that they were being led around, circling, trekking through each area in the mansion at least twice through different paths so they would not easily find their way back. They headed deeper into the heart of the structure until they stopped before an elaborately carved door, affixed with gold leaf trim and polished turquoise over the smooth white marble.

Sara turned the winged lever handle, pushing the door open to reveal a simple concrete room, cold and bare like a basement, but much smaller. It was the size of a closet, scarcely a walk-in, yet the door led one to believe that it held a treasure trove.

"Your appointment awaits." Sara waved gracefully to the room, expecting them to enter.

"Now wait a moment, what are you trying to get us to do? There's obviously nothing in ther- hey hold on!" Ichiru growled when Yori walked in without hesitation. "I have to keep an eye on you and you're just going to trust everything you're told?"

"My, to trust a pureblood. How bold of you." she smirked coyly at Yori. "You're right in doing so. We are perhaps the most echt of our kind."

"But,"

"You want your wish, am I right?" the girls asked in unison, clearly irritated.

Ichiru grit his teeth, not trusting the situation at all.

"Of course." he bowed to Sara, hoping to gloss over any negative impressions.

She shut the door, enveloping the pair in darkness. Slowly, the floor began to drop.

Ichiru stood there, waiting for the ride to stop. It was amazing how much shit he and Zero were willing to go through to avenge a loved one, though Ichiru saw no sense in Zero's anguish. His taste had gone bad after all. not only was he proving it again by holding an attraction to that pureblood male, but...

For the first time in a long while, Ichiru felt truly connected to his twin. He realized this dangerously misplaced, morbid fascination the two had with purebloods, and the irony that they were hunters, meant disaster. He had always loved his brother, even if he was a bratty little jerk to him at times, they were all each other had. That bastard Kuran...

Ichiru somehow always had the knack of being able to find the truth hidden in the darkest corners of the limitless night.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

There was more than enough stressful events happening over the past week that were trying to chew through Kaien's entire way of life, and while having things continue as they were was something somewhat desirable for continuity's sake, he knew that the system had to be shaken for there to be any sort of change for the better. The Hunter's Association and remainder of the Vampire Council coming to ambush the school was a good thing, it would give him a chance to purge the system like he wanted to.

At least that was what he kept telling himself as snow drifted calmly from the heavens, trying to anger him with its lethargically slow-falling wonder.

A few members of the night class were awake in the sitting room. Ichijou was talking in a low tone to Shiki, whose head rested on his shoulder. It was a pure sort of friendship that Kaien got to witness that few believed to be possible amongst vampires, though now was hardly the time to get the warm and fluffies from his cute students.

"I'm glad you two are up, we have an emergency on our hands." Kaien said calmly, coming closer to the pair.

Ichijou placed a flimsy bookmark into his shoujo manga, placing it onto the table with care as he gave his full attention to the Chairman. Shiki actually sat up, turning to face him, looking unusually eager to talk.

"Sit down, Chairman Cross." Ichijou waved a hand to the opposing sofa. "We've been wanting to chat as well."

"Is that so?" he asked, genuinely surprised as he grabbed the seat.

"Yes," Shiki frowned. "Ichijou's told me everything when I mentioned the feeling, I think something's happened to Rido."

This surprised Kaien, that Shiki was so willing to talk about himself, especially his father. He noticed the way he didn't call him his father, distinctly identifying the pureblood with no obvious relation to him. Of course Kaien didn't blame him, regardless of blood, how could call someone be called 'father' if he never once cared this child?

"What makes you think that?" Kaien leaned forward, interested.

"I had this feeling, this morning I woke up and noticed that my bonds were gone. I'd like your permission to check and confirm this for myself."

"Ichijou, please explain."

"Shiki wasn't aware of what my grandfather had done to maintain Rido's body. I was going to keep my mouth shut about it, since it wasn't any of my business, but then Shiki told me about the hunch he got this morning, and I decided to fill him in."

Kaien considered this for a second, choosing his word carefully.

"I thought you were bullied by your grandfather to not mention anything to your friends."

Something tame flickered behind the blond's soft green eyes.

"I noticed that my bonds were cut as well, though I'm not at all sorry about that bit of information."

"In that case, you have my permission, as long as you and Ichijou-kun go together, and delay your departure until at least tomorrow evening. We have people from the Hunter's Association and the Council of Elders coming to shake the Academy."

"Then we'll investigate that as well, chances are that if we're right, they're running rogue without grandfather to regulate the members." he nodded.

"You're going to leave me behind?" Rima questioned from over the banister at the top of the stairs.

"We wouldn't dream of it." a ghost of a smile graced Shiki's lips as he gazed up at the loli vampire.

"Be careful, all of you." Kaien warned.

"You underestimate us, Chairman." she said as she came to sit beside him, eying the ex-hunter expectantly. "I believe you have a package for us?"

"Heheh, there are only three boxes in my office, my own personal stash, but you're more than welcome to take them along with you before you leave." he smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't able to go because of Sara-san's visit."

Rima looked content for the time being, exchanging a small smile with Shiki as she smoothed her winter ensemble . A small shiver ran down Ichijou's spine at the pureblood's name. He made a silent promise to himself to look into her intents as well. It was odd for her to want anything to do with Cross Academy, since if she had wanted to, she would have come to attend at the same time the rest of them had enrolled.

What could she have been planning?

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Kaname was never much of an early-bat.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between him and the hunter as they meandered through the darkening town, freezing in their drafty, revealing leather locked the apartment down and, in their embarrassed haste to leave, hadn't even thought about bringing sheets to wrap themselves in.

Their uniforms still hadn't dried, and to put them on in thirty degree weather, with a wind chill factor of twenty-five degrees, would not have been the smartest idea. He and Zero could smell the fresh scent of ice in the air long before they could see the end of the town. The air on their skin prickled like pins and needles.

Zero heaved a sharp sigh, watching the vapor of his breath dissipate into the atmosphere. He could feel his lips numbing, probably turning very pale against his face. Still, the hunter dared not to lick them, in fear of his saliva freezing into an icy shell around it. The slow, easy gait he and the pureblood had been walking did little to warm him up. Odd, since it was less than an hour ago since he had been warm in Kaname's arms.

Please let that have been a dream. What's more, let Kaname think that it was a dream. That would spare what little dignity he had left. Why? Why now? Was Kuran playing with him for his own sick enjoyment? That had to have been it. He had been laughed at too many times over the past week or so for any of it to be a serious attempt at something as ludicrous as flirting.

Zero felt like a fool for giving into his wants. Perhaps, if he could really believe that all of last night was done unconsciously by the pureblood, then it might have been genuine. But he was saddened by even the thought of Kaname not remembering what had taken place. It made him feel alone in that memory. The knot in his chest tightened, aching, aching with the conflicting emotions that threatened to drive him insane and tear him asunder.

His heart throbbed in pleasurable pain as he thought of it again--all of those sweet, needy kisses, sliding fingertips against soft skin, the possessive way Zero had been held, like he belonged to the pureblood, belonged with him.

His face flushed at the memory, causing the cold knives of the resisting wind to burn more ferociously against him.

Kaname was aware of the blush, feeling the temperature only a meter away to his left rise, even if only slightly. It gave him goosebumps. What was the hunter thinking of to cause such a reaction in a peculiar, silent setting? He stared at Zero out of the corner of his eye, rust-colored orbs lingering on his lips.

Was it all a dream as he thought, or was that merely his negative thoughts convincing him that it was so? Zero pulling away was what made him question the reality of the situation--if he hadn't, Kaname would have been completely convinced that it was a dream or hallucination.

So many of his desires that he held within for so long had come out in that... dream? Reality? He would have to test the validity in a moment. He could feel the heat and intensity of Zero's sorrow, reflecting his own. Perhaps, if he was lucky, Zero was thinking of him.

His eyes slid down to the folded uniforms in his arm--they were probably making the hunter colder. Without warning, Kaname ducked into a shop that was closing late, leaving Zero in the middle of the street.

Fine. He would brave the possible snowstorm looming in the air. Let the pureblood and his princely little girl's skin seek warm shelter, Zero was a rogue baby, he was going to rough it out like all hunters did.

A few moments later he could feel Kaname catch up. Zero didn't say a word until he got too close for comfort, sneaking up on him with an unclear intent...

He spun around, ready to tell the pureblood off when a big cashmere wrap was draped delicately over his head and shoulders, enveloping his upper half in a warm cocoon. Kaname had taken the uniforms from him as if he were some schoolboy carrying his girlfriend's books, freeing Zero hands so that he could instinctively gather the warm lavender cloth closer.

Zero's brows furrowed as he watched Kaname step back, looking him over with carefully concealed interest.

The two stood there for a moment, at a loss for words until Kaname spoke up.

"It brings out your eyes." he shrugged, moving past the hunter to continue into the forest path.

Kaname could tell that Zero was puzzled. Surely, if it wasn't a dream, he would have recognized the gesture of warmth and cover he was now returning, or perhaps the gesture was unwanted.

Was that what the sorrow he felt was from? At being hit on when he wasn't interested? But wait, if it was a dream...

Kaname didn't know what to think anymore. Nothing made sense.

"Purebloods don't feel the cold?" Zero asked as he followed after.

"Of course we do. It's rather uncomfortable, but not very bothersome." Kaname shrugged, words nearly visible in the frigid air.

The hunter caught up to him in a few long strides, torso turned to the side as he tried to engage further in conversation.

"Then why didn't you get one for yourself?"

"I only had enough on me for one."

Zero's expression rearranged in confusion.

"Being a pureblood means nothing to a human who doesn't know of the existence of vampires. Our regal air only comes off as a haughty sort of upper class to them. I wouldn't ask of a human, or vampire for that matter more than what I could pay for." he explained.

He tried not to be impressed with the pureblood's mature understanding. It made sense. But still...

"Take it, I don't need it, I'm fi-"

Kaname's hand stopped his as he reached to pull it off, making them pause on the path once more.

"Wear it." he ordered, releasing Zero's wrist.

"Why should I?" the hunter growled, starting to think that the pureblood was trying to call him weak, or show of his superiority by throwing money in his face.

"It's only fair, isn't it? You brought me warmth earlier, and I do so now for you as well. I don't like being indebted to others." whatever, let the hunter think he was talking crazy.

So Kaname did remember? Zero's heart thumped unevenly, a sweet yearning burning itself a hole in his chest.

On the outside, the hunter was surprised by his answer. Courteous? To Zero? Kaname? No, the pureblood must have been pulling his leg.

Then again, that last tidbit of information he volunteered did explain a lot. He would imagine that the rich wouldn't like debt. Like anyone else, they probably didn't like walking around half naked in freezing weather either.

They kept on in deafening silence for a moment's time before the first of the snowflakes fell. Kaname curled his lips in as he exhaled through his mouth, trying to warm them. A warm, light weight was placed around his own head and shoulders as Zero wound half of the wrap around him without making eye contact, paying close attention to how he pulled it securely around the both of them.

"Don't try to act so tough when you're freezing." said the hunter in irritation, a slight frown pulling his lips. "You've got to protect that girl's skin of yours."

"Who has girl's skin?" Kaname questioned, his eyes narrowing at the hunter besides him.

"You heard me." Zero mumbled, nearly jumping when the backs of their hands brushed together.

It felt as if the pureblood's entire arm had been resting in the snow that was sprinkling down over them. Zero pressed closer, trying to warm him back up with friction and his own body heat, skin to skin. Kaname could feel the pounding of his pulse, both through their connection and his arm. He could feel the conflict within the hunter, that crowning moment of weakness that heartened him to take the initiative for once.

Steeling his nerves, Kaname nonchalantly slipped his palm into the hunter's, taking Zero by surprise.

But he didn't pull away.

After a moment's hesitation, Zero closed his warm hand over Kaname's cool one, transferring more than just body heat. Now that he was aware, the hunter could feel the way their hearts synced up, fluttering like a trapped finch in a cage. The pureblood, heartened by his reaction, the lack of rejection, took it one step further, shyly lacing his fingers with Zero's.

The two stopped on the path again, not minding that they would probably never reach their destination before sunrise if that kept happening, and turned slightly towards each other, gazing into each others eyes, searching for the most tender of feelings behind their shining eyes.

That silent exchange of emotions, the air of sweet content they had created together was bliss.

Small smiles and pink faces intensified as they looked away, turning into lopsided grins and scarlet blushes as they continued on their twining path, a growing spring of love and reassurance nestled deeply within their hearts.

Within that frigid winter night, within the warmth of their simple touch, something as pure and innocent as the warmth of two loving hands, insecurities and doubts, fears and lies melted away.

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

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**A/N:** Breakthrough, I have the ending scene roughly sketched out. I'm hoping to write thirty chapters worth of story, but it might end up being shorter, (23-26) Also, there's a seven chapter arc I'm planning that is integral to the story, coming before year's end.

There's a **STS poll** in my** profile. Vote please?**

**Reviews:** I would love you forever.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Little Demon Girl

**A/N:** Making this chapter was actually pretty hard, I had the main things I wanted to highlight, but had to wing it when it came time to connect all of the scenes together. I wondering if I'm making things too mysterious all at once, of if it's easy to figure out. either way, once you finish this chapter, you might be able to piece some things together. If not, then I'm not sure if that makes me a better or worse writer. XD because I tried dropping hints here and there, but then again, with my open ended writing style, the answers may not be all that clear, which is my intent. Hope vs. intent. XD

Thank you for all the reviews! =D Enjoy!

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

Snow was falling steadily now. Upon approaching the school gates, Kaname tried to loosen his hand from Zero's grasp, intending to give the wrap to him so they could be separate on the way back to the dorm. The hunter's hand clenched his. They spared each other a sidelong glance.

"You'll be bullied by them." stated the pureblood.

"That's never bothered me before." Zero insisted. "Though I suppose you have to keep up appearances." he sighed, reluctantly letting go of Kaname's hand, quickly winding the cashmere wrap around his shoulders.

The hunter hopped up onto the wall, throwing an unreadable expression down to the pureblood, only the hint of a subtle smirk threatened to grace his lips. Kaname could feel the dull ache in his chest--the disappointment Zero felt.

"Well? Don't slow me down, you're supposed to be fully recovered from the poison, am I right?" he asked, cocking his head to the side as he delivered the snide remark.

Kaname eyed him wearily, actually smirking when he disappeared, becoming visible once more at Zero's side, a peculiar expression overtaking his features. He felt unbalanced for a moment, weird.

"Don't _you _slow _me_ down." came his reply as he placed a quick kiss on the hunter's forehead, making his heart skip a beat.

The two sprinted ahead through the trees scattered across the Academy grounds, feeling high, giddy.

The feeling was contagious, invading Zero's heart as well as he tagged along from behind, releasing a playful growl from his throat. Moments like those were so out of character, for the both of them, but it felt too good to want to willingly return to their usual serious selves.

Until a voice hit them.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

They instantly straightened their spines, dropping to the ground within the sun dorm territory to face Yagari.

"Searching the treeline for any more of those creatures that have been hanging around the Academy lately." Kaname replied simply, looking to the canopy as if searching for more of those, what Zero assumed, bats. "If you see any of them, they must be destroyed, don't hesitate."

Yagari's brow furrowed at that bit of information as he outed a cigarette.

"Bats? Spying animals? Interesting, where do you suppose they're coming from?"

Bats? Like that thing Kaname killed earlier? There were more of those things flying around?

"I'm thinking they're from my uncle." Kaname admitted hesitantly.

"Are you guys talking about those exploding birds?" Haine asked, appearing from the south gate, the rest of the day class, dressed in city clothes, with him, shepherded by Kaien, some of the girls scooting closer to the front so they could be around Kaname and Yagari.

"I thought I told you guys to escape while you coul-"

"How do you know about those creatures?" Kaname asked, waving a hand and cutting Yagari off in mid sentence, earning an irritated glare.

"I've been killing them for sport while on watch here. Was I not supposed to?" his brows raised, not expecting to get in trouble for slaughtering tree mammals.

"How did you manage to kill them?" the pureblood pressed, wanting an exact answer.

"Like anyone else would." Haine eyed him strangely. "I used my arrows and dagger."

"Then it's my uncle." he concluded with a nod.

"Maybe not." Shiki called, flanked by Rima and Ichijou.

The trio entered through the far gate, quickly pacing towards Kaname and the rest of the crowd, ignoring the hushed squeals of delight from the day class girls.

"Alright, everyone inside, the Association's blocked our only method of exit, so you'll have to keep safe in here." Kaien told them, pointing the teenagers back to the day dorm, much to their protests.

"Wait, the Association?" Zero asked, not sure if he was hearing right.

The unexpected flood of information confused him slightly. So apparently, Rido was spying on the Academy, but at the same time wasn't. The Association was preventing innocent humans from escaping peril, which would have been the only reason they would have been attempting an evacuation, and to top it all off, Zero could smell the Association President's scent, slightly mingled with that of a vampire, coming from inside the sun dorm.

He was missing something here.

"As you may already smell, Zero-kun, we're currently playing host to the AP, but he's unconscious at the moment."

"Shiki, what do you mean, 'maybe not'?" Kaname asked his cousin.

"Too many people talking!" Zero snapped, glaring all around. "First, since we're here, what's going on with the Academy?" he turned to Kaien, Yagari and Haine, eyes lingering on his foster father. "You first."

"We were informed earlier about the vampire Council of Elders, they're coming to try and execute you, but _we're_ trying to keep that from happening, all while protecting the rest of the day class, because they might become fodder for the council. Members from the Association have come to look into Yuuki's death, or so I've been told, and they're back at the actual Academy right now, taking pictures and trying to gather evidence to help find who could have done such a thing. Apparently, I am to be arrested for not reporting it to them, and you are to be detained if they decide that you're dangerous. The AP has been knocked into unconsciousness by one of the members of the day class, but that's fine, since I have a few questions for him as well when he comes around."

Kaien felt tired after explaining, watching Zero trying to wrap his mind around the new information without having a nervous breakdown from the thought of Association officials poking around in a place he had yet to investigate himself.

"Tell me about Rido." Zero asked Shiki, who didn't even look his way as he waited for Kaname to nod in agreement, beginning his latest theory.

"I have reason to believe that Rido is dead."

"That's a heavy claim," Kaname frowned deeply. "Where is your evidence?" he asked, lifting a brow, not willing to believe his cousin's words.

"You can search me if you want to be sure, but I woke up without my bonds this morning, my puppet strings were gone."

Zero could feel the shock that shot through Kaname's heart. It was a staggering weight, especially following the feather-light emotions they had just experienced, but the pureblood kept his expression stoic, while Zero gave a slight grimace. Shiki's eyes flickered back and forth between them for a moment before resting once more on Kaname. He noticed something, although he didn't look too concerned with trying to dig into their business.

"Mine are as well." Ichijou spoke up from behind Shiki, and every pair of eyes were on him. "I think that explains the actions of the Council."

"We want to investigate it to make sure." Rima added, cutting straight to the point.

"Report to me whatever you find." Kaname nodded. "But leave once everything here is settled. Your departure will only be delayed by an hour at the most, but we might need you for something."

"Of course." Shiki murmured, eager to figure out the entire mess that he was apart of.

Purebloods were tricky like that. Shiki wasn't aware that his father was still alive for a long, long time, and, until he had that dream, until he confessed to Ichijou, he hadn't known too much about the details surrounding the purpose of his existence.

"What the hell are you two wearing?" Touga asked, lighting up once more, looking Zero and Kaname up and down, noticing their weird, revealing leather garments.

"Are you guys wearing my clothes?" Kaien asked, paling on the spot.

"I wouldn't even call these clothes, the hell kind of fashion sense do you have?" Zero yelled at Kaien.

"Take it off then if you're going to complain." Kaname shot at the hunter. "I rather like them."

Everyone watched pink tinge his cheeks, the effect very clear, even in the darkness of morning overcast. They were all tired of standing in the cold, beneath the steady stream of snow.

"It's too cold for that." Zero huffed, hoping that would cover the reason for the blood rushing to his cheeks.

Blood, the strong, slightly rotting scent of it was coming from inside the sun dorm. It had him and Kaname racing once more, the others following suit once they realized that something was wrong.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

_A feral snarl ripped from her throat, so low, so unladylike, but what could she do? She had been summoned by this disgusting man with the black intentions. So what if she was nothing more than an unconsciously fragmented being that still held a conscious connection to oneesama? She had been squirming for all that time, peeking through the cracks of consciousness for a rare and precious few seconds here and there, again with a morbid curiosity, like a dream, never connecting the evidence._

_The little girl growled again, approaching the girly-man that sought company with her. He wasn't at all like her oniisan or oniisama, he was sick and cruel and selfish.  
_

_She would tear him apart before he could hurt them._

_"You should learn your place, child." he said, growing impatient with her._

_In all of the Vampire Anatomy classes he had taken, he couldn't recall a child having fangs. No matter. He would shatter this illusion and go after all three of them, Zero, Kaname, Kaien too. The pureblood must have been near enough to take over his mind, but with the poison he had taken, it wouldn't be difficult to overcome that obstacle._

_"This isn't your original form." she mused._

_The little girl looked up at him, gaze blood bright, she curled into a crouch, back arched, arms trembling, her thirst getting the better of her, shattering her control. Her dark hair frizzed, standing on edge, making her look like a feral beast. Her fangs grew ridiculously, lengthening to proportionate sizes in comparison to her little mouth. Her red lips parted, painted by the blood that dotted her snowy dress, her sickening grin curling with a wickedness as a snarl left her throat. Echoing in what was now the maw of an inhuman creature, filling the air with the baritone cacophony of resound._

_She barely breathed before closing the distance, fading into nothingness and reappearing on his back, fingers curling into his kimono like a monkey, bone-white claws puncturing his skin, like teeth through an apple, crunch and all._

_Shivering with excitement, the demon child brought her slender nose to his neck, inhaling the sickening fragrance his skin held. The blood didn't need to be spilled, she could tell straight away that it was spoiled. He didn't have all that much time to live since it had turned to poison in his veins, slowly affected by the pure blood that had entered his body._

_This man was cloaked in it--the rotting stench of the undead._

_She could take it though, no matter how disgusting this meal would be. It wasn't going to be that bad, all she had to do was manipulate the blood to where she would only tap the pure, leftover essence that the pureblood had deposited into his bloodstream. The little demon girl could feel it, see how it coursed excitedly through his veins, eager to rejoin the rest of his blood inside of her._

_With a soft coo her ivory fangs gently brushed his neck, aiming in precisely the right spot as she called the blood to coagulate for her slow consumption._

_Piercing deeply, she tore the flesh at the junction of his neck, draining him mercilessly...  
_

_Before he knew it, warmth dribbled down his face, coming from his eyes and nose as his brains were shredded, abdomen eviscerated, as his body turned to ash beneath her grip.  
_

_Her hands clutched at his kimono, wrinkling her nose, wiping at her mouth as she spat--she had accidentally consumed some of the girly-man's blood instead of just the pureblood's as she intended._

_Looking up into the white abyss, she searched within herself, jerking when she felt the violent kick of the blood she had consumed. Her eyes burned of two colors, the left crimson, the right sapphire. Slowly, the right orb boiled, shifting to violet, back to the bloody crimson of her wraith._

_A sick grin split her lips.  
_

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Kaname could smell the mixture of scents coming from the AP, the most surprising was the presence of Rido's scent, faint, but still there. He also smelled of the rotting blood that had been around for a short while now.

He, Kaien, Zero, Touga, Haine, and even the small traveling party of Shiki, Ichijou and Rima stood in the blandly decorated sitting room of the sun dorm, brushing snow off of their clothes and out of their hair before it could melt. Kaname placed his hand on the man's head, watching as the torso of his robes darkened with blood, a fountain of it coming from his nose, ears, mouth, even eyes, spilling onto the couch he was draped on.

"Well?" Touga asked impatiently.

"He should turn to dust any moment now." Kaien said grimly.

And sure enough, once the words were spoken, the Association President's form faltered, body quickly disintegrating into dust and ashes.

"He gave off this slight aura of a vampire, I intended to investigate it, but I guess it would do him no good now."

"Shiki, please relay the results of your search to me the moment you find them." Kaname again insisted to his cousin, Shiki nodding in understanding.

"You think this was his doing." he stated, sure of the pureblood's answer.

"I do, but we don't have an accurate time frame right now, we need to-"

Kaname's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing towards the door.

They were coming--the Council...

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

The lift finally stopped its slow descent, depositing them in a bizarre room, where the first thing they noticed was the hideous, rotting stench and cold, frigid air.

The room itself was tinted in various shades of blue. Both Yori and Ichiru looked around the new setting, noticing everything they could, even the navy and azure checkering of the marble floor, realizing that the small platform they were standing on was a single square of its own in the large design. Large, elaborately carved glass figures stretched from floor to ceiling, made to look like various chess pieces. A light shined inside some of them, one even lay shattered in a far corner. Above them, tangled in slate colored chains was a snow-white queen piece, bathed in the blue light. Glowing turquoise strings of cobwebs were strewn along the empty space between the glass figures, chains weaving intimately in and out of them.

But what caught their eye was not the unusual decor, but the glowing strings of crimson cobwebs near the opposite end of the room, all anchored to an oddly carved chair, throne if you will, of ivory. A dark figure sat leisurely in that throne, unmoving, maybe even dead? No, That was definitely the wrong thing to assume.

A slow, steady plip, drip of liquid seeping up from a lower sting of crimson to a higher one echoed, causing Ichiru to draw a conclusion.

Whatever the hell that thing was, whatever the hell it was doing, a lot of blood was going into it. Going in or coming out. He gazed intently at the interconnecting lines of crimson near that throne, watching as the red hue spread outwards, slowly consuming the shining blue of the cobwebs they were nearest to.

The pair jumped when a chess piece imploded, shattering soundly, glass raining to the floor, some shards flying across the room. Ichiru and Yori looked to the carving that had been destroyed, just in time to watch the bead of light from its center fade into oblivion. Neither of them could tell whether it was a pawn or more important piece, but they instead turned their attention to the figure in the chair, its eyes lighting up to a bloody scarlet. A slender hand reached down to pick up a runaway shard, turning its closed palm up, curling a single finger to beckon them towards it.

"Thank goodness." Yori sighed, walking quickly towards the figure with Ichiru reluctantly in tow.

White, curved fangs glinted in the azure and crimson darkness, the figure smiling.

_"Yori..."_ It whispered in a high pitched voice._ "Where is the Black Master?"_

And Yori teared up, this time not in sadness, or pain, all of which was eased away now that she was there next to the figure, but in joy.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

"Aidou, we shouldn't be doing this." Kain sighed, tagging along, once again with his cousin as he conducted some of his own investigations, in Kaname's room.

That guy was crusin' for a brusin', and Kain was likely to get punished as well.

Oh well, he was used to it by now.

They entered the pureblood's bedchamber, only to realize that now was the one, and probably only time in which they wouldn't have gotten in trouble for being in that room, not while Ruka and Rima were allowed to stay there. Rima had gone down a little while ago, and they hadn't seen Ruka since they woke up, so this was where she must have been.

Aidou could feel a tendril of jealousy snake around his heart. She sure as hell was lucky to be able to stay in Kaname's room, in his bed. He was pretty sure that he wasn't gay, for the most part, but he sure felt like it towards Kaname. Though now wasn't the time to perform a cross examination on himself, they were there on reconnaissance mission! He and that hunter were sneaking around doing something, and Aidou was going to get to the bottom of it. He would never accept any sort of excuse that involved an unexplained friendship popping up between them, it was too suspicious.

Then there was that one time, that Zero was nude, flushing in Kaname's bed... His blood had been spilled that night, all of them could smell it, but no one said a word.

It couldn't have been that! They would have heard something, wouldn't they?

Then again, Kaname was a rather smooth, silent-but-deadly type of person.

Nooooo!!

"Are you having another episode, Aidou?" Ruka asked from her half-laying position on Kaname's canopy bed. she was still dressed in her silk pajamas, and her hair was a long, frizzed and messy mop of bedhead.

"What do you know!" the spazzy aristocrat jumped, eying her with jealousy. "Shouldn't you be up by now? I mean, everyone's sleeping schedule is screwed up now, so...?"

Ruka shot him a halfhearted glare, laying back down onto the silk sheets.

"Yeah, but I've been thinking." she sighed heavily, gaining Kain's attention.

"Something wrong Ruka?" he asked gently, sitting besides her on the mattress.

"No, more like I'm getting something right. You know, I've realized quite a few things... It must have come to me because of this room, no, because of Kaname-sama, and that dream I had. I'm thinking that he let me sleep in here for a reason." her voice was heavy with depression.

"Go on?" Kain coaxed gently, watching Aidou turn his attention to her in concern.

"I've long since known that Kaname hasn't ever seen me as special, at least in the way I've wanted him to, not that I'm saying that I'm special at all to him or anything, it's just, that he's nice enough to talk to me, listen to me, I foolishly kept hoping..." she turned to Aidou.

"You must be able to smell it, right? How could you not, being so close to the bedsheets and all. That hunter's scent is all over them. Even he's more important than I am."

Aidou frowned at that, expression rearranging sympathetically. He too wanted to be someone very important to Kaname, and he realized that they all were, just in different ways. Their positions of importance were according to how he would decide, not how they would like. It seemed as if Ruka had just now come to the same conclusion. He could guess her next words.

"But as long as I'm important," they said in unison.

Ruka smiled for a brief moment before it fell into a frown.

"Have I been that blind all along? Rima knows this, you know this, have I been that blinded?"

"You haven't." Kain spoke up, rubbing her arm. "You're just the most loyal of us all."

His hand slid over hers, its warm weight welcoming, comfortable. Ruka's pained smile became crooked.

"Rima says that I'll never become useless because of that."

"And it's the truth." Aidou smiled, Kain nodding in agreement.

All three of them stiffened, tremors running up their spine. A large group of ill-intentioned outsiders were closing in, quickly, and somewhere within the Academy grounds, Kaname was wound up tightly.

"Nii-san!"

Tsukiko's panicked voice called from down the hall, sending Hanabusa into full big brother mode.

"Tsukiko! What happened?" he called, rising from the bedspread to run to the door.

"You can feel it too, right? Something dangerous?"

"Yeah, Ruka! Get dressed, stay here and look after Tsukiko for me, would you? I'm going to help Kaname-sama."

"Since when do I listen to orders from you?" Ruka scoffed, springing from the mattress with Kain, running past them into her already clean room. "Obviously, Kaname-sama needs the help of his most loyal follower! And Tsukiko can fight for herself, she's fully capable."

Something was off, and Aidou could tell, as Ruka ran past, he caught a small whiff of the rotting stench of blood.

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**A/N:** Suddenly, I'm really glad there was an anime made of this series.

**Reviews:** Please and thank you! =) I will love you forever!


	13. Chapter Twelve: Truth Or Lie?

**A/N:** You guys, deserve this. End of story. **(Feel free to ignore my ramblings)**

The last chapter had some significant points, but let's face it, even I knew that it sucked. It was one of those much dreaded, 'recap' chapters. I had been away from the story for so long, that I had to even remind myself of what the hell was going on. But I'm back, and I'm wrapping up the council arc. (Oh God, I've actually placed arcs in my stories.) Now, the tension gets worse as the deadline for Kaname's decision looms nearer. This chapter has been written past its normal 4-4.5k words and extended into a critical snowballing chapter of *nearly* 6.4k. (6 pure, not counting A/N's)

Translation - we're on the brink of a first breakthrough for the initial genres of the story, mystery and romance, which I think I might have successfully combined in equal parts in the last part of this chapter.

Second Translation - It's the story's first (leading up to a) climax. (I don't count the opening, as that's the attention grabber.)

Don't be confused - No one will actually, literally be climaxing in this chapter. XDD (Sorry, wait for a bit.)

But don't you worry, the story is far from over.

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"ღ*~+~*ღ"

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It was as if a thousand bodies, a thousand presences appeared at once, and Kaname was sure that Rido had them engaging in cannibalism, feeding on their families, seduced by power and lulled into a false sense of security for their own futures by a person who might have already been dead.

Dogs indeed.

Kaien could sense them too, gripping his sword tightly. He knew right from wrong. Never again did Kaien want to slay another vampire, but he knew that if he didn't do something, both humans and innocent vampires would be slaughtered and consumed like cattle.

Kaname rose from the floor, having gathered as much information as possible about the AP incident. The rotting scent was definitely connected to something, something that was pulling the puppet strings to all of these broken dolls, and Kaname would find out who, or what it was. He paced leisurely to the foyer in the sun dorm, preceded by Shiki, Rima and Takuma, flanked by Zero and Kaien on either side, Touga bringing up the rear. Haine could feel the power radiating off of the group in waves, instilling a note of 'stay here, humans' in the atmosphere. He decided to hang back and protect the students as best he could, notching an arrow in his bow.

_"Look, the pureblood wishes to oppose the council."_ a vampire purred in amusement when their party emerged from the dorm.

Touga turned to close the doors securely behind him, Kaien embedding a hunter's dagger into the oak frame, it's power silently spreading to bar entry to any vampire, for a time._  
_

"Does this mean you wish to take the side of the hunter, Kaname-_sama_?" another vampire asked, hissing the honorific.

"I take Zero's side." Kaname said with conviction, staring them down, feeling their auras seep into the atmosphere between the falling snow. "But your visit is hardly about punishing him for killing a pureblood. No, you've come for your own selfish desires, and to satisfy your master."

A single snowflake fell on the tip of Zero's nose, drawing his attention away from the throng of vampires before him. By the time his eyes could refocus on the group, a massive wave of power diffused in the area, freezing what was left of the council in mid lunge.

Crimson irises shone brightly, Kaname's face scrunched in concentration. Shiki's group realized that he was exerting much more power than necessary, judging on how focused he looked. What was happening? They should have been turned into dust by then! The all powerful pureblood had abilities akin to a God in the vampire world, save for resurrection, and they could easily have stood up to time! But something as simple as destroying the lower class? It was perhaps their most abused right, so why couldn't Kaname kill them?

Had they drunk Rido's blood? Was that where the rotting stench came from? Kaname knew he recognized the scent, but couldn't place it because of the stint.

"Shiki, are you absolutely sure about Rido?" Kaname snarled, heels digging into the ground, clenching his teeth in an effort to keep his control over them.

"Positive." Shiki frowned, wondering if cutting in without a command from his cousin would be his ticket to death.

"Rido wasn't the type to let others drink his blood, but I can't kill them. I see no other reason for them to be able to resist my powers so well."

"Hehhehheh, it's... because you are... weak." a vampire in the crowd laughed through his bonds.

"You couldn't.... stop him... from, becoming the true _cause of death_ for your mother and.... ngh, father, and you can't stop us... who hold... his blood in our bodies..... You owe him too much, you fake heir!"

A bullet flew through the dense crowd, splitting several bodies, turning a few more into dust. The loud sound of gunfire shocked students inside, earning screams of panic from the humans. Zero stood with Bloody Rose at the ready, teeth grit as he took his place besides Kaname.

"I've heard enough of your bullshit!" he growled, emptying his chamber into the crowd as Kaname's powers wavered.

"Filthy-blooded creature! _**We'll fucking Kill you!**_"

Roars of approval broke out along the crowd as they swarmed over the hunter, forcing him a good thirty feet from Kaname in his attempts to dodge. Kaien didn't wait for approval, rushing in with Yagari at his heels to help out.

"Zero!" Kaname cursed under his breath, Shiki's party taking that as their cue of approval to battle to their heart's content, feeling the approach of ice and fire from the distant, opposite end of the battlefield, hearing Ruka's feint battle cries.

The pureblood drug his fang along the length of his palm, summoning a trio of blade forms, all made of his blood. He cleaved through bodies on his way to Zero, unable to help the cause and murder any of them. He could see the silver-haired hunter, blood splotching him, thankfully none of it was his own, and a hill of sand at his feet as he trusted his back to Kaien and Yagari.

"**Zero!** _Pay Attention!_" he yelled, offering his slit hand to the hunter.

Zero grasped it without hesitation, trusting in Kaname's judgment as the pureblood pulled him close to his chest, raking a fang in the same manner over the hunter's left palm.

_"Lend me your power."_ he whispered into his lover's ear, squeezing his hand so that a strong pulse of his own blood coursed though Zero's veins.

Kaname used to think that Shiki was a fool to share his blood, his power and manipulation over the life's liquid, with Rima that way for something so trivial as Uzumaki Drop, but now he saw other ways in which the blood bond could be used. He unleashed his power over the surrounding vampires once more, keeping them frozen in place until either Kaien or Touga could get to them. The seal held better this time, since there wasn't only his own blood coursing through him in that moment.

"Concentrate, pull the power from deep within you. Remember back in the alley? Bloody Rose is merely an extension of your arm, use that to your advantage. I'll guide you."

The power, the sheer pleasure Zero felt was indescribable. It nearly turned his legs into a quivering pool at just how relaxed and aroused he felt with Kaname's blood coursing through him. The heat and intimacy of the moment blocked out all else as he grasped that fragment of power, that small bit of knowledge that he had Kaname by his side. This time he had more to protect than just himself, he had to protect his lover as well.

It was painful and wonderful at the same time, like an orgasm that had been delayed for far too long, as the metal of the gun melted and fused into his arm, though perhaps it was only because Kaname was ensuring that there was pleasure along with the pain. It splintered and tore as metal vines grew, flexible like a plant, the thorns akin to hunters weapons. Zero found that he could move them of his own will now, instead of them lying uselessly like the last time they had appeared.

"It's not enough." Kaname growled, trying to force more of his blood into Zero.

Their hearts raced as one, but the return rate wasn't high enough, and it would soon tire the pureblood out. Kaname maneuvered around him, the thorns avoiding their two masters as they sought out more carnage. Kaname embraced Zero with his free arm, running his tongue along the hunter's neck. He brought his hand up to press Zero's head into the crook of his own neck, encouraging Zero to drink as well.

The vines grew longer, more lithe as they pierced through and crushed countless bodies with their thorns, tipped with the metal of the enchanted bullets inside of the Bloody Rose, but neither teen was paying attention.

They were consuming each other on the battlefield, drinking from each other, creating a continuous flow between themselves in order to keep their powers up. It was a give and take that neither could lose out on. The vines wrapped them in a wall as they continued out, multiplying, protecting them as it sought out the enemy.

It was an entirely inappropriate moment, but Kaname couldn't help himself as he rubbed his erection along Zero's, both of them hard from the pleasure the others blood brought to them. The hunter jerked when he felt it, groaning into Kaname's neck, trying to shy away before he hit the wall of vines which shuddered as a single thorn pricked Zero's skin. Kaname pulled him closer, away from the wall, feeling_ the need_ surge up within him.

Out on the battlefield, the vines grew like weeds, encumbering weight destroying the remaining vampires left and right. They were erratic, just as the two lovers felt from within their fortress of vines. They filled the grounds of the sun dorm, forcing Shiki and Ruka's party to retreat to the gates, Kaien and Touga stranded, unharmed in the center, but being quickly overrun by the growths.

"What's happening to them?" Ichijou yelled to the other group, lest they knew anything that his did not.

"We don't know." Kain yelled back.

Ruka's fist clenched. The remainder of the council was destroyed, so the vines should have stopped, if they were being controlled by Kaname, and not just Zero by himself. Her caramel eyes lit up brightly with the glow of her mind control, worried for Kaname. Both Aidou and Kain could read her intentions; if Kiryuu was the only one left standing, she would tap into his mind and make him destroy himself. She lept from the top of the gate, dodging vines here and there. The men flanked her, keeping a thin wall of fire and ice between themselves and the vines, lest they needed to use force.

The vines were avoiding the cousins, however, opting to bat at Ruka instead. What had she done wrong? If this was truly Kiryuu's doing, then surely he would have gone for them first, as they had been the ones to openly threaten him if he made a move against Kaname.

A tendril caught Ruka's boot, curling, thorns puncturing deeply into leather, piercing her skin to drain the vampiress while the rest began to climb higher along her leg. It burned so badly, like an allergic reaction as the hunter's metal left wounds within her that would not heal any time soon, not without sustenance. Stubborn as ever, Ruka bit back a scream, intending to free herself so she wouldn't fall behind.

Kain's eyes widened as he panicked, rushing in to help her. He conjured flame, trying to burn away at the vines, but only partially succeeded in heating the metal thorns, the hunter's elements. The fire would not touch the earthen, plant like flesh of the tendrils, Kaname's vampire elements, meaning that he was still alive, and he had no idea what was happening to Ruka. Kain called for Aidou's ice, applying cold to hot with the intent of breaking the thorns as more still climber her thighs, a single tendril curling around her torso.

"Kaname-sama!!"

The cry awoke Kaname from his trance. His fangs were still impaling Zero's skin as he realized what was going on--they were still on the offense. He immediately relaxed his hold on the vines, reluctantly withdrawing from Zero's skin with a sigh, the hunter following suit. His wall of vines collapsed to reveal them both in each others arms, palms together, fingers laced, blood trailing down their necks as the wounds closed.

Everyone save for the lovers surrounded Ruka, even Kaien and Yagari, who was checking on the wounds on Ruka's feet and legs. They were bleeding out, painting her paling skin a dark crimson.

"I'll be fine." Ruka murmured sleepily, blowing a few messy strands of hair off of her face. "I just need to rest for a few minutes is all." she sighed, head lolling back as her eyes fluttered to a close.

_"ღ*~+~*ღ"_

_"Didn't I tell you? They're strong because they share." A young girl smiled, her voice less childlike than when Ruka had last seen her._

_Her body was a bit bigger, leaner now too, surpassing the size of an older toddler to that of a middle aged elementary student. Her hair was longer, brushing over her shoulder blades. The dress she wore was the same snowy one she had on before, the exact same garment, stained with blood along the front, the hem of the dress rising just above her knees.  
_

_"What happened to you?" Ruka sulked, laying on her back in the white abyss._

_"I'm getting stronger because I'm 'sharing' too. whether you've realized it or not, Ruka-san, we've already shared something. The proof lingers from the last time I visited you."_

_"Do you do this to everyone, or am I the only one lucky enough to be going insane?"_

_"Of all the people whom have called me, you and oneesan are the only ones whom I've been able to share with. I have no idea if sharing is gender specified, or if it's because they're protected. I haven't been able to reach oniisama, and I couldn't influence oniisan when I did see him..." she trailed off thoughtfully._

_"So what was it that we shared?" her patience was running thin as she turned away from the girl who looked so much like a young Kaname._

_"Blood, energy, you absorbed my signature when I visited you. I've marked your vessel as safe, but then you go and get yourself pierced by a hunter's weapon..." she tutted softly. "But I have a proposal for you. It's one I think you should consider, because it will make you uniquely special to oniisama, and if you-"_

_"Forget it." said Ruka, palms over her ears. "I'm the most loyal to Kaname, I won't betray him, now or ever."_

_"But this has nothing to do with oniisama, aside from making you stand out in his eyes. This has everything to do with you. If you can grant me this one, itty bitty favor, then I'll heal you, and grant you the power to be able to stand out. In the end, purebloods are all about power, no matter what you might think."_

_There was no way Ruka could just pass that opportunity up. If what the little girl was saying was true, then Ruka might actually have a shot at being with Kaname in the way she wanted. Yes, she had resigned to the fact that she was always going to be his most loyal follower, but when it came to capturing his heart, his attention... Ruka still cringed when she realized that she would never be able to have any of it, no matter how much she put into loving him. She decided to show some interest, turning to the young girl to ask._

_"What's the favor?"_

_The girl's eyes suddenly dimmed, the spark of life dulling with the heavy weight of tiredness. the dark circles beneath her eyes became more prominent as she padded forward, getting on her knees to sit next to Ruka._

_"Let me rest here." she pleaded wearily. "It won't be all the time, just enough to be able to get away from oneesama. Your mind is strong, and I know I won't be disturbed here."_

_"What **are** you exactly?" Ruka asked, understanding, yet confused at once._

_The little girl looked up, eyes staring off into the distance with unfocused eyes.  
_

_"A wraith, a projection, a fragmentation, a memory... I don't know what I am. It could be any one of those or none of the above. All I remember of the last decade is darkness. I used to be able to remember much more from my early existence, but it's gone now. Oneesama has everything."_

_"So your sister is your keeper?"_

_"She's more than that. She's my captor, my mistress, I can't free myself from her, so I'm doing the next best thing by taking shelter in someone loyal, who's protective, who has a strong mind. And if you let me, I'll lend you my power. You'll make a difference in these war-torn times, and I can tell you right now, oniisama repays whatever is given to him."_

_Ruka hesitated, trying to search the mind of the child with her powers, but coming up empty. She was no mind reader, even if she could control others through that gate. Even still, how could she have found the mind of something that didn't even hold a physical body?_

_"Then what will happen if she tries to get information out of you?"_

_"Oneesama only knows what I tell her. I can't even access her mind without permission. Lately I've had to talk to her through oneesan, who isn't safe to rest in, sadly. I wish I could pass on, but it seems that I can't even do that without oneesama's permission either, so I'm stuck."_

_The tale struck a sympathetic chord with the vampiress, though she couldn't help but feel an uneasiness at not being able to find the child's mind._

_"That's quite a bit you want to give me in exchange for a place to rest. What if I help you to pass on?" that would have gotten the girl out of her head._

_It seemed to her like all the child wanted to do was be freed from her duties. Ruka was a spoiled child growing up, but she saw just how lucky she was compared to people like Kaname, who was responsible for the future of an entire race, or Takuma, who was little more than a tool for his grandfather's whims. There wasn't much she could do for them in her current state, but with power, she would be able to at least be of more use to Kaname. If she got rid of the child, then she would be able to return her favor of wanting to pass on, and wouldn't have to put up with her company any longer._

_"You'd do that for me?" the child asked in a whisper._

_"Of course."_

_"Then we have a deal!" she grinned, leaning over to press her nose to Ruka's, biting her own lip. "This won't hurt a bit."_

_Blood dripped onto Ruka's lip, making her recoil instantly from it's very real taste and weight, the liquid leaving a burning trail wherever it touched, like eating the spiciest of peppers. The blood burned through her, bringing with it a searing pain that woke her from her slumber._

_"ღ*~+~*ღ"_

With all the pain that Kaname had caused Ruka, it would only be fair if he offered his blood in apology for almost killing her. He was a responsible ruler, and he would do what was necessary to see to the care someone who so faithfully supported him. Zero secretly thought the same, but wouldn't have offered his blood, knowing that Ruka would never accept it from a classless person like him. It was fine though, since the only one he wanted drinking from him was Kaname. He would have liked it to be the same, but_ felt_, _knew_ that Kaname would try to help her.

The pureblood gathered Zero close to his side, the vines already retracted once Ruka came to. Bloody Rose was hooked safely onto Zero's clip and chain, fastened and tucked away in his leather vest. They both made their way to Ruka, Zero nearly dragging in exhaustion from the high stress that had just been put on his body.

Kaname was contrite as he crouched down, offering his wrist to Ruka with sincere, apologetic eyes. The hunter did and said nothing, turning his face away in appease. She shook her head, smiling now that she knew Kaname did return favors, insisting with her eyes that everything would be alright.

The one who was most emotionally unstable, in that moment, was Kain. Tension was a heightened aura surrounding him as he supported Ruka against him, pardoning himself to carry her back to the moon dorms.

"She'll be alright." Yagari concluded, impressing Kaien with his concern for the young vampire. "The wounds are deep, but they're far from her vulnerable points. She'll need rest though, because she was pierced with hunter's metal, and that will take time to heal."

Everyone stared at Zero as if they were seeing him for the first time. The vampires, save for Aidou, had no idea that he had been turned into one of them, and none of them had ever seen Zero's little parlor trick before. Those who hadn't known the truth instantly looked to Kaname, who was ignoring them in favor of wrapping the shawl around the teen more securely, very concerned about his health, even though Zero had probably consumed more than his fair share of healing pure blood already.

To hell with his reputation. Kaname didn't care anymore. He would bring Zero up to his room to let him recover from the ordeal.

"You may leave." the pureblood murmured, dismissing Shiki's party to their pilgrimage to find out whether Rido's path was still crossable, or if it had ended.

The trio hesitated, leaving only when they were sure that they weren't going to receive any further instruction. Aidou followed Kaname at a great distance, crunching through the muddy snow and ash, glad that he had convinced Tsukiko to stay in the dorms.

"Keep up a spread defense, I'm running late for an appointment." Kaien announced shortly afterward, sheathing his sword as he turned to leave through the gates, locking them up after himself.

Touga lifted a brow at Kaien's weird behavior, opting to follow his orders anyway, but being exhausted himself, he had no idea how long he could last either. He would go into the sun dorm and tell Haine and Yuri to rest, so when they awoke, or when he was about to pass out, whichever came first, there would be someone guarding the humans, even if he doubted that anyone would be coming back for them at all.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

There was a barrier set up by the hunters around the academy as they worked on the investigation. Kaname's powers were weakening the more he used them, for some reason. Kaien, as the legitimate successor of the president's position in the Hunter's Association, commanded the hunters to leave everything in tact, sending Touga to overlook things as he left to take care of some business elsewhere.

Kaname and Zero weren't in the mood to talk to others, let alone answer a thousand questions about their taboo relationship. With Kaname they wouldn't even disrespect him in asking, but with Zero, they would have shouted obscenities until commanded to stop, were it not for the untouchable aura that surrounded his being, enveloping his own presence thanks to the pureblood who so closely guarded him.

They walked down the hallway, receiving stunned expressions of disbelief, even some glares of hatred towards Zero that melted into calm indifference as they were somehow removed by Kaname's presence. It wasn't just those who were left of the pureblood's inner circle, but the entire night class. All of those faceless, nameless vampires from before were staring at them like they were a freak show. Kaname's grip on Zero's hand tightened as he pulled the hunter to his side, like an equal, tenderly wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

He was so unflappable at a time like this, bending down to tear their joined skin apart, kissing the palm of Zero's hand to heal him instantaneously. Moving forward to open the door for them both, Kaname swept him up bridal style to carry him over the threshold into the bedroom, closing the door gently behind himself.

In the hall the vampires were in a frenzy, in denial about the nature of their relationship. Within the four walls of the pureblood's bedchamber, Kaname sat down onto the bed, pulling Zero onto his lap with him, kissing his lips gently as he moved to massage his back. He too, was tense. The knots in his back relaxed at Kaname's skilled hands, and he began to unwind somewhat in his arms.

"How long have you felt this way about me?" Zero asked, turning in his arms to look at his beautiful face.

Kaname merely smiled, burying his nose in the hunter's hair, his guilt over Ruka pushed away.

"Since you first stabbed me with that knife. I knew you would be the only one crazy enough to handle a pureblood, and I was right." he joked, kissing Zero's cheek. "How long have you had crush on me?" he asked back with a small smirk.

Zero turned in his arms, pressing himself against the pureblood, feeling their chests rub together, the twin heartbeats beneath them like a comforting reassurance.

"That's a secret." he murmured, turning away in embarrassment.

"Well, I have all the time in the world to unravel your secrets." Kaname smiled softly, bringing Zero down onto the mattress with him. "We have a few hours until the hunters finish the investigation. I have Seiren watching them now. She'll come wake us when they've completed their tasks." he murmured, stroking Zero's silvery hair. "How about we just rest for now? There's nothing we can do until then, and-"

Kaname was silenced when Zero's lips met his, slow and hesitant, as if self conscious now that they were surrounded, even if unseen, by other vampires. The pureblood smiled and kissed back, happy to be able to show affection to his loved one after such a long time of yearning.

"I'm glad that I have you here with me." Zero confessed in a low tone. "I would have gone to pieces if you weren't there to drive me insane." he laughed, placing another chaste kiss on Kaname's lips before burying his head into the crook of his neck, deciding to kiss his skin there too. "Whenever the hunters finish, we'll go down and investigate on our own. It was... unnerving, knowing that I would have to face her murder scene alone, since she was the only one who was with me for so long. But now, with this... arrangement, we'll be able to avenge her together."

And that was where the pureblood's guilt really began to erode this heart.

Zero was there, he was beloved, and he was suffering, all with the same person.

He thought he had to track down a murderer and avenge Yuuki's death. He was probably going to be stuck in that mentality for a long while, possibly forever, as Kaname himself knew. Why else had Yuuki been hidden all of those years? Why else had Kaname been setting up the pieces of this chess game in order to kill the one who had caused his parents death, and the painful, ten year span where he had to act like she was some rescued child? In order to kill Rido, to keep himself from suffering what Zero was suffering through now. Yet his condition was infinitely worse, because he had no idea who had killed her.

Hell, Zero had been suffering like this for over four years from Shizuka alone! But that time he had a drive, he had an objective to accomplish.

So what about now?

The hunter deserved closure, he deserved to know. He had wrestled with the mixed signals, and flirts, and passes that Kaname had given him, as well as his own sexuality issues, and came out in one piece. Zero faced all of those issues head on.

What had Kaname done?

Well, he flirted, lied, waited for Zero to come to him. That was great and all for him to be so patient, as a pureblood of vampire society, but as simply Kaname, without the Kuran name and responsibilities tying him down, he wanted to be like that too. Kaname wanted to face everything head on, honestly, just like Zero did.

With a single decision,one of many that had been made out of pure selfishness, what had he accomplished? Only once had he ever tried the direct approach, and it was during a desperate time.

By deciding that he would reveal their relationship, reveal, and protect his loved one by lending him his strength in such a manner on the battlefield, Kaname knew that he had earned some degree of Zero's respect.

And it had felt so good to be open and honest, even if the night class was viewing him with brand new eyes. What's more, it would help clarify who was truly loyal and accepting and who deceived.

With the hunter's warm weight in his lap, their arms lovingly wrapped around each other, and Zero's faith put into him, how could Kaname remain silent? How could he do that to him?

But fear paralyzed his heart.

_"Shhhh.... let's rest, we'll be okay. We can look soon."_ Zero murmured into Kaname's neck, wide palm rubbing between his shoulder blades in a comforting gesture.

Zero could feel the tension in Kaname's body, the painful heartache that echoed his own at loosing a loved one. They were together, and that was what mattered. They would get through the case, the execution, and the entire grieving process together, so they could continue building on their life,_ together_.

The truth or a lie?

It was back to that old debate again.

That was what it really came down to.

If Kaname didn't say a word, then, knowing Zero, they wouldn't move on. He had waited ten years for Yuuki, all for naught, but with Zero, it hadn't even been ten days, and already he was growing weary of what he expected them the face through his silence. No, not again. Kaname wanted closure! One way or the other!

But which should he choose?

Through either of them he ran a high risk of loosing Zero. One option could lead to a murder, the other to a suicide.

Damn it all! Why the hell hadn't he been upfront about this in the first place? Waiting until Zero had a cushion, someone to fall back on sounded like a poor excuse. Kaname should have done this long ago, when the shock was still fresh, but the past was set in stone, and the future was not.

And the present was being carved out right there.

No more secrets. Kaname had to weigh out the options at that precise moment.

He tried to make a mental list of the pros and cons of the truth and a lie, but the simplicity of the choices were lain out before him.

Murder or suicide. Though Kaname wanted to be there for him, he would rather Zero hate him forever than have a mental breakdown. Zero could kill him and escape. It was a much better option than watching the one he loved coil in on himself and die, being powerless to stop it

How laughable, that this too was a selfish decision he was about to make.

Selfish.

Foolish.

And unbeknown to him, the wrong one.

But first, he just had to know.

_"Zero."_ Kaname murmured into his hair, feeling dread grip his heart.

The hunter could sense it, the calm serenity he was striving for to sooth his lover was vanishing quickly, fear replacing it.

"Yes?" he asked, hugging the pureblood closer to him, the sad and longing ache of love washing into his heart.

It was the strangest thing. Since he and Kaname had shared the blood, their transmitting and reception of feelings and emotions were much more intense. It was no longer as if they carried two hearts within, but like they shared a single one between them that mixed and intensified whatever it was exposed to.

This was going to kill the both of them.

"I have something to tell you."

"...go on..."

Kaname clutched the hunter, but they couldn't get any closer than they were right then, unless they were to remove the clothes in the way, but he had a feeling that that wouldn't happen any time soon, if at all.

_"...Zero..."_

He swallowed; more than once, pulling away slightly so that he could look into the hunter's violet eyes, to make him feel _and_ see the depths of the emotions behind his next three words. His mouth had gone dry once his jaw dropped, voice unwilling to work, for once the sweetness was uttered, the sin would have to have been confessed. Kaname licked his lips, lids drooping as he brought his mouth so close to Zero's that they could taste each others breath, and feel every word that was spoken, feel it, and consume it.

Good, now Kaname could confess with all five senses, the scent of their unity, in blood, fragrant all around them.

His voice trembled as he spoke softly, the first part of his revelation filling the hunter with leaded joy.

_"I love you."_

* * *

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

* * *

**A/N:** There's a new poll in my profile. I'll probably say that in all of the stories' next immediate updates. Please vote, it's about updates.

I'm still wanting to rewrite STS, but I have issues with expansion and deviating from the story. I'll figure something out, because as I was rereading the introductory chapter, I was thinking, 'the idea and delivery are pretty nice, but the way it's written sucks.' And now I feel embarrassed to even keep the original up. I guess that means you're improving when you look at your previous works and see nothing but crap? that's what I was told. now I might have to go badger Blackened Wing for tips on writing an epic. Or what's more, I'll need to study hers, and Uzumaki-sama 's Syntax and try to improve on my own. *frets* Read their fics by the way. :D

**Reviews:** I still love you guys, do you still love me?


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Numb

"What have you got for me?" Touga asked as he entered through the front of Cross Academy.

Jinmu eyed him wearily, as if deciding whether or not to trust the raven-haired hunter, even if he had known Touga for his entire career. The AP had turned up dead, scattered into ashes no less, and, though it was his own fault, that fact made him weary towards the other hunters. He was uncertain as to who could be trusted.

"We've investigated the infirmary, and it was just as Cross-san had told us; no body, evidence of foul play, but no evidence as to who. If we had a corpse to perform an autopsy on, then we might have been able to determine her cause of death. There's only so much we can find with surveillance tapes. However, we did find something interesting." he mused, leading Touga to the scene of the crime.

The pair of hunters entered the infirmary, careful not to step too far from the threshold. It was there that Touga saw the scene for the first time. There was dried blood all over the otherwise smooth, clean floor. The foul stench of it and death cloaked the room and hall, covering up the smell seeping from bottle of antiseptic that was still open from when Yuuki had treated Zero's wound.

In the center of the mess, however, was a clean, blank spot, where Yuuki's body had been, before whatever had happened to it. Around that, dried and crusted crimson caked the space. Further out, however, blood spurted and sprayed the surrounding areas, as if she had been punctured and left to bleed out.

"That_ is_ interesting," Touga commented in a dark voice, studying the angle and coverage of the spray.

"That's not the interesting part." Jinmu waved off, beckoning the raven haired hunter to a small closet in the Chairman's office. "It might be a coincidence, but when I was reviewing the security tapes, _this_ caught my eye."

He motioned towards the tapes, but Toga could already see something wrong with them. The blood spread out in a pattern, a certain shape, and it reminded him very much of one thing;

A butterfly.

There was something incredibly familiar about that pattern, but Touga couldn't place a name, or connect a memory to what it was. Whatever the familiarity, he could feel that it was not a positive one.

"What about the rest of the tape? It should have caught a glimpse of who did it, right?" he shifted uneasily, not liking where this was going.

"That's what we hoped too," Jinmu scratched his head in confusion. "but the tape only recollects what happened before she dies, a cut scene to where she was discovered, and then it blanks out again. When we get the picture back, her body is gone."

Jinmu pressed a few buttons, rewinding the surveillance tape back a maximum of five minutes. He then hit play, streaming the surprisingly clear video of Yuuki tending to Zero's wound right before he left.

_-"Stay here, I'll be right back."_-  
_-"Alright, anytime."-_

Touga leaned in closely to the small screen, watching as Yuuki placed the bottle of antiseptic onto a tray beside the hospital cot. She stood up to throw away the bloody gauze and cotton balls that she had used to clean him up with. She paced over to the front of the cot and leaned against the foot railing, facing the door. After a minute, Yuuki brought a hand up to brush an errant lock of hair behind her ear, smearing crimson on her cheek as she did so.

She girl blinked in surprise, starting when she noticed she still had some on her fingers. The video caught sound from her speech.

_-"This is Zero's blood... He drinks mine all the time, I wonder..."-_

Yuuki brought her fingers up before her lips, giving them an experimental sniff before shyly licking at the blood.

The reaction was immediate.

Her head snapped up to look at the door, eyes growing wide as recognition registered in their chocolate depths.

_-"What are you doing-"-_

Static flooded the screen scaring Touga slightly, his expression going grim.

When the tape picked up again, the picture came with a cacophony of yelling, Zero screeching as he had a mental breakdown right there near her body. There on the ground, was the bleeding girl, blood pooling so completely around her that there was no way she could have possibly been alive at that point.

Once more the tape blanked, switching to static before focusing again on a solid stream, the butterfly pattern reemerging.

Was it all a joke? Never in his whole career had Touga ever come across such a severely twisted and suspicious case of murder. The raven-haired hunter threaded his fingers through his wavy tresses, wracking his brains to think up some place to start investigating.

Much like the tape, he was coming up blank.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Instead of bringing Ruka to her room, Kain thought he would let her get comfortable in his, since hers had just been cleaned of blood not too long ago. And, since Rima was going to be away for a while yet, she would probably have gotten very lonely as she recovered. He navigated through the tense halls, growling at anyone who dared to turn in their direction, leaving a dripping trail of crimson behind them. Kain continued upstairs in a rush, stopping short at his room, knocking before veering inside. He knew Aidou was far behind them, but Kain had learned about eight weeks ago to always knock before entering even his own dorm room, lest he catch his cousin 'training for Uzumaki Drop' in the most suggestive of manners.

"Wait... my room?" Ruka asked weakly, sending a questioning gaze to the pyro.

"Would you feel more comfortable there?" Kain asked gently as he carefully sat her down on his scarlet bedspread.

"...I don't want to mess up your room..." she trailed off, probably blushing, though she didn't have enough blood in her to manage a faint pink.

"I can deal with it. Your room was just cleaned, and I don't want you sleeping in bloodstained sheets."

Not to mention that he didn't want her near Kaname or Zero at the moment, lest they were 'preoccupied' with each other in his room, which was right next door to hers.

He sighed, shaking his head and unbuttoning the collar of his polo shirt as he sat on the edge of the bed. Ruka eyed him wearily. It would have taken an idiot to not be able to guess what he was about to do, and since Ruka was, number one; not that kind of girl, and number two; injured to say the least, then it was a no-brainer that he was about to offer himself to her. She was shocked when he had shed his shirt entirely and turned to her, lean muscles rippling with every movement.

Kain used his teeth to tear off a wide strip of cloth from the polo, allowing the vampiress to relax considerably when he wrapped the piece firmly over her thorn wounds. The pressure caused the sharp ache to dull slightly, the throbbing bleeding continuing since it was a hunter's tool she had been pierced with. Ruka's vision swam while her stomach snarled, noisily threatening to eat itself if she didn't sate her thirst for blood.

Closing her eyes to rest was the only thing she wanted to do, until she felt a pulsing warmth in the air, the scent of sweetly burning wood and sunflowers tickling her nose.

No, she wasn't about to drain Kain. Ruka was ravenous, and she didn't want to risk hurting him in the process should her power run wild.

The delicious sound of piercing of flesh echoed as a dark, scarlet line dripped seductively down the strong arch of Kain's neck, collecting on his larynx. A single droplet plipped onto her pale lips.

"Please accept my blood and become healthy once more." he murmured sincerely.

"...I'll be fine, really, don't worry about me." she waved the issue away weakly, making Kain frown.

"You always put up this strong act to try and hide your weaknesses. You think no one will love you if you even show a shred of helplessness, well you're wrong." he chided gently, golden copper eyes softening as he brushed back blond strands from Ruka's face.

She turned her head, pursing her lips into a thin line to keep her from giving into temptation, the single drop of blood slipping into her mouth because of it.

The taste was strong, smoky, masculine--everything Kain smelled of, he tasted even better. Bloody flavor seeped along her tongue, drawing her now crimson eyes back to the spot on his neck that was dripping with the wonderful sustenance. Her lips trembled as Kain lowered himself further to allow her better access to his throat, brushing skin against skin, heat against cold.

Instinct was beginning to take over, despite how badly Ruka wanted to remain stubborn and refuse his help. Her hands acted on their own accord, reaching upwards to twine themselves around the pyro's broad shoulders, fingers entangling themselves into his strawberry blond hair.

Kain sighed in relief when he felt Ruka's tongue lap at his neck in preparation of the bite. He welcomed it, gently tipping his head to the side to allow her better access. Light shudders wracked his body as he felt her fangs graze the site. Blood willingly welled for her, quickly eating away any hesitation she had left as she buried her fangs into his skin, leaving both to marvel at the blissful sensations of piercing and being pierced.

Ruka pulled him closer to her chest as she felt him relax against her. She took long draws, several mouthfuls of his blood and strength, feeling the wounds in her legs burn as they healed. A single tear slipped down the side of her face until Kain caught it on a finger, bringing it up to his lips to taste her salty sweet sadness.

Sadness at not being able to obtain the person she wanted most, at being too weak to help them, sadness at the prospect as being unable to move on. It was the taste of her tears, a taste Kain knew all too well, because he and Ruka felt the exact same things.

Her for Kaname,

and him for her.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

How long was she going to be made to wait? Chii had already taken a nap on one of the cots in the infirmary at the Association. The sun had since come up, though clouded, and no one had come to give her her next orders. She hadn't even seen a soul since the Jinmu and the effeminate AP guy disappeared.

It was a long way from home, but she could have made it back, if she had vampiric abilities. When would he make good on the promise of introducing her to that pureblood who could make all her dreams of leading a vengeful scarlet life come true?

Whatever. When he came back, she would slay him if he didn't deliver. Nobody would use her for their own games without payment, and live to tell the tale. It would be as easy as plunging her silver dagger into his heart, though she wasn't too sure how close she could get, since she doubted that she could use her sex appeal to get close to him.

Chii withdrew the curved, unwrapped blade in question from between her breasts. She ran her fingers along the tip, pressing it into her skin. Unlike the butterfly knife she had in the ally, this blade wouldn't cut her, as long as she remained human, but one way or another Chii would soon discard her humanity. Hopefully.

"Let's go."

She jumped, turning so fast from the spot on her cot that whiplash was a possibility. A man stood in the doorway, his eyes were narrowed, fox-like and focused. His dirty blond hair fell jaggedly over them and down his neck in the back to stab at his shoulders. He held himself rigidly in his black leather trench coat, his appearance suggesting that he was wise to the vampire underground. In one hand he held a raggedly wrapped katana, keeping it away from the rest of his body as if it were something detestable.

"I didn't feel you come in." Chii muttered, tonguing her lip ring.

She was no hunter, but she did have heightened senses to her surrounding environment. The blade against her fingers became warm, as if it were craving, just like a vampire. She looked down to it, brows furrowing in confusion as she gripped the blade in her palm.

"Wha?"

"Few ever do." the man said with a tight lipped smile. "It's time to leave."

He made no gesture to reach out for her, leaning back slightly as if he would have liked nothing more than to leave her be in the room. Was this another lackey who was ordered to use her, unwilling, like all the others, to fulfill a promise? Or was he there to lead her to her reward?

There was only one way to find out.

Grudgingly, Chii placed the dagger back between her breasts, slightly concerned that the man did not stare as she adjusted her chest. Was she surrounded by queers? It didn't matter. He would be less likely to reach for and confiscate the weapon if that were the case.

"Where are we going?" she asked in a low tone, slowly rising from the cot.

The man merely stared, looking past her to the wall over her shoulder.

"Follow if you want to complete your orders, or else you won't be rewarded."

"I've done everything that was asked of me!" she growled, glaring blackly into his unflinching golden orbs. "It's you all who wouldn't follow through!"

"You're right, but I'm not the one who decided on the terms for this particular arrangement." his voice was monotone, strained. "But I have orders too, and I'm risking enough as it is."

"This may seem rude, but I don't give a damn." Chii scoffed as she folded her arms over her breasts.

"Then you leave me with no choice." he sighed, stepping forward. "I can give you what you want, but you'll have to come with me once it's been given. Do we have a deal?" extending his palm, the man made direct eye contact with her for once, monopolizing her attention.

She glanced to the hand for a brief moment before willfully clasping her palm into his, feeling something sharp stab into her skin.

What the hell? Was he sent to kill her? Was that a thumbtack he had hidden between his fingers? Chii didn't get to find out, for as soon as their palms touched, his hand crushed hers, driving the point deeper.

Liquid flames seemed to pour into her from the wound, causing unspeakable pain. But he wouldn't let go of her, not even as she began to tremble and lose strength, falling to the floor soon after.

"Be careful what you wish for." came his grave, distorted voice as she whited out.

_"ღ*~+~*ღ"_

_"Oneesama told me about you."_

_Chii awoke, at least that was what she thought she did, with a start. Had that tack been coated with a poison? Was she hallucinating? The white dimension suffocated any sound, keeping it from traveling very far. One could drown in the silence and suffer from insanity, if it were not for the child standing so close to her._

_"I'm flattered, really, but where are we?"_

_"Where are we? Where are you?" she smiled, her dark eyes lighting up in amusement. "Oneesama said I'm not allowed to eat you, but she wanted me to come anyway to make sure that you weren't spoiled. You were going bad before, and she scolded me for that, but you seem to be doing fine right now."_

_"I am bad, kid. Bring your big sister here and I'll tell her so." Chii smirked, cracking her knuckles._

_"Such impudence. You've got some nerve, for a human, but that's what makes you so valuable as a resource." she said, running her fingers through her semi-long hair.  
_

_"You talk pretty big for such a little girl."_

_"Too bad about oneesama, you would have made a fine addition to my collection. Hopefully she knows what she's doing, since I would hate to see such vitality wasted." her voice echoed as the white darkened to black._

_"ღ*~+~*ღ"_

"Wake up. We're here."

"Hn?"

Chii sat up, looking around a dim, richly decorated sitting room. Every detail was visible, nothing cloaked by the darkness that should have bothered her eyes.

So did it happen? Was she a vampire now?

The blond was sprawled across a small antique couch covered in floral upholstery, a carved glass table located to her side. A winged armchair at the foot of the furniture matched her piece, though it sported the same, rigid man that she had seen from before. She tried to sit up, only to fall back dizzily on the firm surface of the seat.

Holy hell she had a terrible headache! Just who the hell was that kid in her dream, and why couldn't she remember the past few, what, hours? She brought one hand to her head, pressing the heel of her palm to the back of her scalp where the pain throbbed the strongest. Belatedly, she realized that her formerly pierced hand was feeling fine in that moment, though her chest burned.

Had she just imagined that attack? She felt her right hand, and the solid skin stretching out over it.

"Are you ready yet?" the man asked with a hint of irritation, though he managed to not sound impatient.

He had been the one to attack her, she was sure of it. Chii checked her nether regions, just in case she was wrong and he had staged this in order to rape her.

Nothing. Nothing at all. So then where had she been taken to?

"You're about to meet your future ruler, and it is imperative that you mind your manners."

"I'll keep that in mind." the blond muttered, rolling the bead along her lip ring.

She was escorted to a vast hallway where the main feature was the elegantly carved double doors that stood at it's end. They approached the door, taking their time, footsteps echoing like a death march. The man produced a small golden key to unlock them, pushing them open to reveal a metal ladder leading up into darkness. The blond climbed up the silver rungs, atmosphere getting thicker the further she climbed.

The room at the end of the ladder was nearly black, a dim ocean blue light emitting farther down the room...

"Finally, I thought you'd never show up." an irritated voice growled.

A figure appeared from the light, his silhouette against the blue was nearly intimidating. As he came closer the light eased around his form, revealing his feathery silver hair and glaring violet eyes.

Her heart fluttered in surprise.

"Kiryuu?!"

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Guilt weighed heavily on Kaien's mind. Were he not doing this for Juuri, for her dream, the ex-hunter surely would have succumbed to the negative feelings that threatened to consume him. How much would it cost to set a trapped being free? An arm and a leg? A heart? A thousand and one lives? Whatever it was, he would make sure that his children would be able to one day smile from the bottom of their hearts. And when he freed them, perhaps his hold onto this place would be relinquished.

Kaien had chosen to walk through the snow and frigid air into the nearest town, leaving the car behind. He needed time to think about what he was doing, and time was a precious, little thing that he got to waste nowadays, whereas he would have been able to spend it endlessly in the way he wanted back when the Academy had been peaceful.

It was nearly noon, though you couldn't tell from the snowy overcast. There were quite a few people roaming about, couples sharing umbrellas, children tossing snowballs at one another, teenagers admiring material goods in shop alcoves with their mittens and noses pressed to the glass, breath fogging in streaks. All around him snow crunched beneath the feet of activity, dirtying here and there as gentle laughter pealed through the district.

Snow...

That's right, snow _didn't_ last long, and it was Sara who would either preserve, or melt it. There was only so much time she had allotted for Kaien to get his affairs in order and clear a path for her. On the chessboard, amongst the obsidian pieces, she considered herself queen. She had assembled all of the pawns in underhanded ways, and, if she were to go it alone, she knew she would lose.

**"ღ*~+~*ღ"**

Zero could hear it in his sentence, hear it as much as he could feel it; the '_but'_. He had no idea what more Kaname wanted to say, other than his general fears.

'_but_ it's a mistake.'

'_but_ I'd rather take the throne, alone.'

'_but_ we can't be together.'

All were feared words, those and about a thousand other variations that would result in their split. Zero certainly was still uncomfortable with his orientation, but the fire, the passion...

The comfort he found in Kaname's arms was worth more than he could ever describe.

Since when had he come to enjoy that... _man's_ company?

He feared what more Kaname had to say, which was why he took the initiative, and kissed the pureblood once again, throwing caution to the wind, for once not concerning himself with what everyone else thought. Zero smiled against Kaname's lips, his eyes shining with... some sort of incredible all consuming force. Kaname returned the smile and shine somberly, granting him an inkling of relief as he rubbed their noses together, absolutely giddy, and warm at the thought of having his feelings answered, for once. There was a question for clarity's sake, though.

Did Zero love him too?

What was love in the first place? He thought he was in love with Yuuki, and he might have been. How could he have known if he never got the chance to confess? He too, was scared of rejection, and was so sure about the reciprocation of feelings between her and Kaname that he had nearly given up into a silent retreat.

But the heart knew no reason.

And that was why Zero had, unconsciously, taken Kaname's feelings into consideration, even though the only thing he was sure about was the fact that he cared deeply about the pureblood.

It was only yesterday that he had been reproachful to the idea of the pureblood as anything other than an ally at best, a plague at worst, another bloodthirsty monster with a hidden agenda behind his mask of eloquence. The moment that had changed his mind and affirmed that even born vampires were, in essence, 'human', was when Kaname had restrained himself on the hunter's behalf. Even though he knew that the pureblood wanted to give into the dark desires of lust, he had chosen love, and given Zero the gift of choice; something he had never had before.

The idea sounded crazy, but when he thought about it, most circumstantial tragedies that had befallen him were outside of his control, until Yuuki's. He had no say in the matter of all else, no weapon to call upon when Shizuka had murdered his parents, or turned him against his will. Zero didn't have a choice back then, other than death, which was something he had seriously considered until Yuuki, shaped by_ Kaname's _kindness, had convinced him otherwise.

Kaname's decision had allowed him to make his own, and even if the gesture was something so small, and probably insignificant to the pureblood by now, Zero would cherish it for all his life.

At this moment, he was teetering on the edge. It was as if he was on a high-dive board, on the balls of his feet, leaning forward, arms out wide and accepting of this new love. He could feel the warm cradle beneath him, finally willing to give him rest and relief. All this...

For_ Kaname_, his _pureblood prince_:

Falling...

_. . . . . . . . Falling..._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Falling through sweet bliss..._

_Through Kaname's scarlet words...  
_

**_"I killed Yuuki."_**

Into numb nothingness.


End file.
